Jane Groenewegen

Question is being called.

---Carried

Mr. Speaker, of course, this public proceeding here is a forum as well. If there are people out there in the communities, in all of our communities that are listening to this and hearing this today and do have a problem with addictions, who have problems with alcohol and want to find a way out, who want to find a healthy, happy life, I want them to not only know they can approach this forum but that they can go to their health centre, that they can write a letter to the Minister or their MLA, they can phone us and they can tell us what they think their solution is to this problem. Thank you...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Indeed, the issue of addictions in the Northwest Territories is a very, very perplexing one, and I applaud the Minister that he is trying to do something. However, I agree with my colleague Ms. Bisaro that we have studied this issue to death.

Minister Miltenberger came to Hay River when he was doing his forum on where we should be spending money and stood up and made a very, very eloquent speech about personal responsibility. Maybe we shouldn’t be asking people who are healthy and sober what we should be doing about addictions such as the wonderful people that Mr...

Managing and preventing chronic diseases is a major issue for our health system. Diabetes is only one of our problems. What still needs to be done before a full Chronic Disease Management Model is ruled out and what are the obstacles to that rollout?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement, the Auditor General has noted that Health and Social Services did not have a territory-wide strategy to manage and prevent diabetes. That is part of the Chronic Disease Management Model which was due to be implemented this year. I’d like to ask the Minister has that happened and, if not, when will this be implemented.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. November is Diabetes Awareness Month and today, being the 1st of November, I would like to dedicate my statement to this topic. I would like to, as part of my statement, canvass the situation here in the Northwest Territories.

Among NWT seniors aged 60 and up, the rate of diabetes is over 20 percent. In 2007-2008 the NWT rate of diabetes was actually lower than Canada’s but, unfortunately, we are catching up.

There are some reasons for this. As a population, we are eating less vegetables and fruit than we used to. The decline is documented from 2003 to 2008 at the same...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Menicoche.

Again, I’d like to applaud the Minister. This is a very, very good and esteemed group of people he’s pulled together for this Minister’s Forum on Addictions. But when we are looking at the terms of reference, could we please, for a change, instead of talking to people who think they know the solutions who aren’t living the issue but only observing the issue, could we please talk to people who are actually living the issue? Could we find a way to get them to talk? Because the Minister asks the question in his statement: I want to know what will make people stop drinking and want to live a...

That’s okay. Thank you.