Rylund Johnson

Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services, in collaboration with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, add an eighth priority area to the addictions, prevention, and recovery work plan focusing on people aged 29 and under. This priority area should include clear commitments and performance measures to increase access and uptake in counselling and healing supports and increase youth participation in sports and recreation, including measures to improve access to facilities and programming. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don't intend to rehash the entire history of the A New Day Program here, but I do think that we have changed the model to hopefully run a number of men's wellness programs and men's healing programs across the territory in partnership with Indigenous governments. But as noted in the previous motion, the uptake on a lot of this funding has not been there and I think the department needs to set its mind to, you know, trying to make sure that those programs are up and running. This is discussed further in the report noting that, you know, young men in our territory are...

Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends the Department of Health and Social Services make changes to its addictions, prevention, and recovery work plan as soon as possible to reflect the recommendations contained in this committee report, Report on the Review of the 2022 Audit of Addictions, Prevention and Recovery Services. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee recommends the Department of Health and Social Services review and relax administrative requirements to access OntheLand Healing Fund with a view to ensuring full uptake of budgeted funds in 20222023, and report whether the funds were dispersed. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services present performance measures for each activity in the addictions, prevention, and recovery work plan and provide a timeline for implementation. The department should report on progress with a webbased tracker, similar to Education, Culture and Employment's Action Plan to Improve Student Outcomes Progress Tracker on a quarterly basis and a public briefing at committee in spring/summer 2023 before the 19th Assembly ends. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Speaker. This bill comes out of some cooperative work and review that the Standing Committee on Government Operations has done of the Official Languages Act over the years, and this Act is long overdue for some changes. I'd like to thank the Minister for his work with committee to date.

I'll also just note committee is still currently in the process of a statutory review of the Official Languages Act. We are still welcome to take any submissions. You know, I think it was our hope when this Assembly first started that we would see a much larger overhaul of the Official...

Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories, in collaboration with Indigenous governments, pursue federal funding to help set up healing centres in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Great Slave, that Bill 61, An Act to Amend the Ombud Act, be read for a second time.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to I believe this is a recommendation that committee will look to make it to a number of departments and that there's no real formalized mechanism right now for frontline staff in the GNWT to recommend policy changes. You know, I sometimes get emails from them saying hey, please don't tell anyone I'm contacting an MLA, or they sometimes go up to the director. But I think there's some good examples. There was just a review done of income assistance and they talked to all the frontline staff, and a number of recommendations that were relatively easy to...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think the Minister answered all of my subsequent questions there. So thank you for that. I look forward to the report.