Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Motion is carried.
Carried
Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends the Department of Health and Social Services and health and social services authorities set up a distinct method for frontline staff to identify barriers to care and cultural safety or propose better practices and policies on an ongoing basis and provide a timeline for implementation. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. The motion is in order. Mr. Johnson.
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 implement came out immediately. And so I just think all departments need to have some sort of method in place where their frontline staff can identify concerns in regards to policies and practices and then that there's a formal mechanism to actually review that. We kind of do it on a oneoff basis every few years through surveys or when we are reviewing a program, but I think something much more regular across government is needed and especially as a priority for our addictions services. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried.
Carried
Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services collect and analyze data from residents who do not use GNWT addictions prevention and recovery services, to identify creative ways to remove barriers and make services more culturally safe and provide a timeline for implementation. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Motion is carried.
Carried
Mr. Johnson.
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.
Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I also again think one is an extremely important motion. We've been hearing a lot about oh, treatment centres don't work. But, however, I think it's because of the way that we are labelling the centre. By using the term "treatment centre," we are bringing up a point of view of a clinical southern/western medicine style centre, and I don't believe that's what Regular Members have been asking for the last while and instead using the term as a healing centre I think is smart, first of all, to remove the idea or this barrier that seems to be in the Minister and the department's mind around we can't have a treatment centre here in the North.
I do think it's disingenuous to say that we didn't want that as a priority when we all first started as I believe that that was a goal for all of us but that bureaucracy led us to believe that we couldn't have that. So at the time I think that was a change and the reason for that. However, I think that going forward, it is clear that our people are desperately crying for help here in the North. I don't have the data in front of me about recidivism and how much we have people relapsing when they come back from southern treatment; however, I would imagine it's quite high. I've spoken personally with people in, say, Fort Simpson, where they've come back from rehab and their option for followup is one AA meeting once a week held in public in their town, and that is the only support that they have to stay sober upon returning even though their families and children relying on them, and they call us to tell us that they need help, and we are the ones that are having to provide that support. So it is time for this government to start actually healing our people here and based in a manner that is culturally appropriate and is directed by the Indigenous governments and organizations, not by the colonial system and HSS. Thank you.
Mahsi. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Johnson.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. As is stated in the report, this is one of the TRC Calls to Actions, and we use the wording wellness or healing centre very specifically to not say treatment centre. There are a number of things going on in the territory that work well to this motion. I know the Gwich’in have set up a wellness camp. We are hoping that is a great success, and we would like to see similar things. I know the department is working to set up more aftercare. I believe aftercare services can certainly fit into what we are asking for in a healing centre. I know there has been repeated requests for more immediate detox services and some sort of place someone can go when they say, hey, I want to go for treatment, and then they're told, yeah, okay, we got you a place in two weeks from now. What are they supposed to do for those two weeks? And so I think there's a lot of potential to work with our Indigenous governments to have a variety of, you know, you can call them well healing centres, you can call them wellness camps, they can be on the land. They might look different depending what those specific Indigenous governments want. But I do think it is time for us to revisit this and pursue that federal funding. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Motion is carried.
Carried
Mr. Johnson.
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.
Mahsi. The motion is in order. Mr. Johnson.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, the department has a webbased tracker for the child and family services audit, and the department of education has one for their education audit. So I think it should just become at this point somewhat standard process to create one of those webbased trackers on each of the recommendations. And then I also just the public briefing part is just as much to committee. The Standing Committee on Government Operations regularly reviews these audits, makes these reports, and then perhaps doesn't do the best job of following up to see whether they're being implemented. So it is committee's intention to go back through all of the previous audits and to follow up on them beginning with this one. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Motion is carried.
Carried
Mr. Johnson.
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.
Mahsi. The motion Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I also supportb this motion in that I don't think that the people of the Northwest Territories can wait another four months in order to have some sort of action or movement from the department on addictions. It's clear I believe we actually had two more over the weekend in the South Slave that passed away due to overdose. And so I just I really hope that meaningful action will begin now and not in 120 days. Thank you.
Mahsi. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Motion is carried.
Carried
Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this report within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried.
Carried
Mahsi, committee. Do you agree that you have concluded consideration of Committee Report 3719(2), Standing Committee on Government Operations: Report on the Review of the 2022 Audit of Addictions, Prevention, and Recovery Services in the Northwest Territories?
Agreed.
Mahsi, committee. We have concluded consideration of Committee Report 3719(2), Standing Committee on Government Operations: Report on the Review of the 2022 Audit of Addictions, Prevention, and Recovery Services in the Northwest Territories. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that the chair rise and report progress. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. There's a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and nondebatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion is carried.
Carried
I will now rise and report progress.
Madam Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 72319(2) and Committee Report 3719(2) and would like to report progress with 15 motions carried, and that Committee Report 3719(2) is concluded, that consideration of Tabled Document 72319(2) is concluded, and that the House concur in those estimates and that an appropriation bill be based thereon be introduced without delay. And Madam Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Mahsi.
Thank you. Do I have a seconder? Member for Nunakput. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion carried.
Carried
