Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How often is court-ordered treatment offered to inmates is not necessarily but as a direction that go to prison? Thank you.

The only thing I want to reaffirm is I’m not suggesting in any way they’re doing anything bad. I just think that they are a little-known office. They fall through the cracks of public view and they tend to get forgotten. Again, I just want to make sure it is absolutely clear. It’s nothing that they’re not doing. It is a question of just how they blend into the folds of government and the public loses sight of that and certainly what role they play. That’s all I have. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure has completed its review of Bill 2, An Act to Amend the Territorial Parks Act. The committee wishes to report that Bill 2 is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. By all means I’m sure that these are good people. I just would have thought we would have heard more about their expertise than the life they’ve lived.

My next question, of course, is the last one, which is: Has the Minister been getting any feedback about two particular areas that I am very passionate about, which is youth treatment options and certainly a treatment centre here for Yellowknife for dealing with addictions? Those are two very important recommendations that I hope are coming forward on how to deal with youth on a youth treatment level, and certainly, as I...

Thank you. I think today is a great opportunity if this Minister of Health and Social Services would like to avail himself to it, which is what are many of those good recommendations? I think he said there may be upwards of 10 recommendations. So what are those good recommendations they’ve been hearing from the communities so we can get a sense of what’s actually happening out there? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Health and Social Services did a Minister’s statement on the Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness. I want to quote a couple of things. It says not one community in the entire Northwest Territories can claim to be free from health and social problems caused by addictive behaviour.

That beginning statement is very telling about the problems we’re having here in the Northwest Territories. I believe in prevention and, certainly, enhancing established treatment facilities, as the Minister has highlighted in his statement, but I think we need to go just a...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think I just have one question. I think we’ve cleared up everything, as far as I’m concerned, and I just want to say I think I just have one question. It speaks more to the philosophy. I think the Minister’s heard enough from me about my concerns on consumer affairs and whatnot. I’d kind of like to bottle it up and maybe I’ll call it one, hopefully, clear ask, which is: What can the Minister do about the somewhat public anonymity that hides behind consumer affairs?

I’m not suggesting they’re not trying to reach out there, but I think there’s a general perception from...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week – the exact date was Monday, February 25th – I had asked the Minister of Transportation some information regarding the work on the winter road, or potential permanent road to the NICO Mine, to the Dogrib communities of Gameti and Whati. In that Tlicho area that I wrote, one of the comments back from the Minister, he says my speculation about the work going on behind the scenes and the person I was talking to from Fortune Minerals is it was all guesswork on the Member’s part. I just received an e-mail from the Minister’s office. Maybe the Minister can inform...

Thank you. There have been piles and piles of reports by experts, advice in these particular areas. The government could field a library on its own on how much it’s studied over these particular initiatives.

I’m tying this point to expert advice and expertise on the panel. Maybe the Minister can speak to the expertise this panel brings to this discussion on the Addictions Forum, and maybe he could use this occasion to highlight what expertise and experience they have around this to ensure we’ve got the right people in this process. It seems like one that was kicked off quietly then set out to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I was talking about the Addictions Forum work and certainly trying to compare it to the work that’s already been done to date and tying it equally together with some of the issues I’ve raised, as well as many other Members have raised here in the Assembly today. It’s no surprise to the Minister and I’ve repeated it many times. I believe we need a treatment centre here in Yellowknife and that we need treatment facilities that are appropriate, of course.

My question to the Minister of Health and Social Services today is: Speaking to the...