Ronald Bonnetrouge

[Microphone turned off]

No further questions.

Just to follow up on the addictions treatment facilities, it's good that we're getting clients. You've noted that we get 191 clients, and I can only assume that they are all our residents from the Northwest Territories going south. Of course, there's always the issue of support services once they return to the communities. Do we provide any support services once they return home, considering that we do have social services and mental health workers in the communities? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Madam Chair. My questions are related to RNANT/NU, the Registered Nurses Association of the NWT and Nunavut. I am aware that they are a governing body that governs registered nurses or nurse practitioners in the Northwest Territories. That whole body seems to be separate from the whole health department. I know that people before me have filed complaints to them. I think it goes to several other places, too. It could be to the leadership council chairman. It could be going to the department of health, but the majority is funnelled to RNANT/NU.

I even filed a formal complaint for three or...

Mahsi cho to the Minister of Finance for that answer. In the community of Fort Providence, the liquor establishments were working with the leadership and agreed to shut down the bars. Could this not be deemed as consultation and agreement with the liquor establishments and perhaps written into the act in a time of crisis in order to issue a TPO?

[English translation not provided] ... prohibition order in place. I'll use the short form as "TPO" for that. This is the prohibition of all alcohol within the area of the community. There is a means to stop the flow of alcohol into the community as the consumption of excess alcohol leads to many social problems.

Mr. Speaker, it is known that the continued use of alcohol for prolonged periods of time eventually puts a strain on the healthcare system and has a significant impact on the resources of the RCMP, not to mention significant impact on the lives of friends and families.

In my community...

Thank you for that brief answer, and it wasn't specific enough. I am looking for something specific. We have programs. What programs are they afforded to, the people coming back, and if they are aware of them, if we can get a list of the programs that you have, the support services? Maybe an evaluation on the whole program would be very helpful. Mahsi.

Mahsi for that. It's still muddied, that whole process, because now we're dealing with an independent body, and a lot of times, when you deal with independent bodies, you're always having problems, because we're not totally regulated by something under the GNWT umbrella. We get answers there, right now. Here, we don't. I believe you guys look after recruitment and retention, and you're sending them over there. You're cutting the ties, type of thing.

We do have a lot of legitimate complaints out there, and we haven't resolved them. Like I said, some were back from May a year ago. We're still...

It seems like, when this pandemic started, we started off slow, but, eventually, we were working. We had patience on this side of the House for the actions of all involved with the CPHO and the emergency measures organizations. It has always been a problem that we just couldn't harness the very thought that this is a public health emergency and a declared state of emergency. We should have been afforded all avenues to change acts for emergency purposes. Perhaps we really have to look at that as part of the lessons learned.

It's been a while, this coronavirus pandemic. I believe there's an...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I mentioned in my Member's statement the problems related to excess alcohol consumption and the avenue afforded the community leaders for TPO. The leaders of my community genuinely wanted such an order during this state of emergency as this was the quickest way to stop all alcohol from entering the community, quelling all of the problems associated with alcohol. My question: why is it that a coronavirus public health emergency, a state of emergency, is not enough to override any current legislation or acts in order to issue a TPO should one be requested? Mahsi.