Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the new Minister of Health and Social Services, with my congratulations, and it follows up on my Member’s statement on the need for a treatment centre or not within the Northwest Territories.
Does the Minister agree that the need for a drug and alcohol treatment centre in the NWT, which means the allocation of substantial funding and efforts, versus focusing on other programs and accessing southern institutions, remains unclear and needs attention and focus to be resolved? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Mr. Speaker, there is no question that dealing with mental health and addictions in the Northwest Territories is a priority of this government as well as Members. There are many ways to provide services. It may be a treatment centre; it may be on-the-land programming. This is a discussion that we need to continue to have with committee and I’m willing to continue to have with committee. We do have a Shared Path Towards Wellness, the 2012-2015 report on mental health and addictions. This is an action plan and we all need to work together. I hear the Member’s point, but I’m not sure the government committee need new bricks and mortar as the direction to go. There are lots of buildings around which we may be able to utilize for treatment centres but there is also on-the-land programming, so there are multiple approaches we need to consider. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. That is exactly my point. We have not resolved this question for decades. We halfway supported our institutions. We have allowed them to fail because we haven’t had the commitment to either make them work or focus somewhere else. Currently, it’s totally buried in the fine print of the strategy.
Will he bring the focus needed to resolve this question? Bring it to the House and let us know the timeline and how he is going to go about this. I would like to hear him commit to that during this session. The day has come. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I listened intently yesterday during the mental health and addictions theme day and I heard the Member talking. I also heard all of the Members talking. What I will commit to right now is that I will sit down with committee. We will talk about these issues. The reviews and the research have been done; it’s time for action. I agree, and I will work with committee to move forward on this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thanks for that commitment. Thanks to the Minister. Unfortunately, and I agree with most of what he said, but towards the end, we have not done the research. That is what I’m saying. Let’s do the research. Let’s commit ourselves fully. Do the research. What are the programs? What are the success rates of the different models? What is our situation? How would it work, jibe with on-the-land programs and so on? Let’s put the effort and the commitment to resolve this once and for all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I heard the Member say that we need a thorough and informed debate to examine the pros and cons leading to a clear evidence-based decision and a commitment to act. I also heard Members say we are plagued with study after study after study. I’ve heard other Members say we have talked about the reports that have been shelved. I heard another Member say study after study after study keeps telling us the same thing. I also heard that we have to think outside the box and that we have to work together.
I and my colleagues are here to work with Members on that side of the House to find real solutions and we’re willing to think outside the box. We don’t need more studies. The research is done. Let’s get something done. We need to work with the Members and we will work with the Members to solve these solutions.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Minister has captured it here. There is a lot of confusion, which is what I said. There is a lot of opposing information. That’s exactly what I’m looking for, is a timeline. Right now, as I said, this is buried in the fine print of the so-called action plan. I’m looking for a commitment to get this done within all the details that the Minister has mentioned, various programs that are out there, the conflicting information. We need leadership to penetrate this haze and come up with a clear, informed decision. That is what I’m asking for. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I’m pretty sure that’s what I just said as well. As far as a timeline, I’m not going to stand here on my first day and give you a timeline. I’m going to work with the Members. We are going to work on a timeline. We are going to come forward with action in the life of this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
