Tom Beaulieu
Statements in Debates
Mr. Speaker, I’m sure that isn’t a problem. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Like I said, the Minister’s Forum on Addictions makes up a part of the Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan, which we’ll be tabling in the House tomorrow. We have had consultation with Standing Committee on Social Programs on that action plan. This $300,000 is what we think we need in order to carry out that portion of the action plan. I think that we’re here requesting that money. It’s not been spent. It’s not something where we’ve advised individuals that they would sit on the forum. If the Legislative Assembly decides not to approve this portion of the budget...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health and Social Services is developing an umbrella health and social services professionals act that will regulate a number of professions under one statute. Thank you.
The plan is to go to 50 percent of communities, 16 or 17 communities. We haven’t picked the communities yet. I think once we have our forum, that we’ve gone to the Members to ask them to provide us names of people who would work well in this forum, and then I think we’re going to go sit down with the forum and make a decision on which communities we would have to attend to have the greatest impact.
Thank you. Aside from what is already in the budget for community counselling, we are trying to now work with our department and within our department to develop wellness plans with all of the communities. Also, tomorrow there will be a Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan released. We’re going to use that plan over the next three years to try to address the backlog that was created by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s work, and then also having the federal government really not having enough resources at the communities to address all of the issues that came about from people...
Thank you, Madam Chair. A lot of the initial work is going to be based in Fort Good Hope and Fort Resolution, with the request from those communities that they had high cancer rates, so we’ve determined that at least Fort Resolution does have higher cancer rates than normal and that Fort Good Hope was marginally higher than the other communities within the Sahtu. There is going to be some work done in there, but the understanding and the plan is to expand to all of the communities so that this work is occurring in all communities where we’re looking at cancer prevention through lifestyle...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m referring to the one treatment centre we have in the Northwest Territories, Nats’ejee K’eh, and then, when required, people are sent to treatment centres in the South also.
The department has no problem sharing that information with Social Programs.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. No, there is no increase in that budget.
Thank you, Madam Chair. With me today to my right is Deputy Minister Debbie DeLancey, Health and Social Services, and to my left, Assistant Deputy Minister Derek Elkin, Health and Social Services.