Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services when the people in my communities are asking for support and help in dealing with the drug and alcohol programs, can the Minister tell this House and the people in the Sahtu when can they expect to see such types of programs being implemented in my regions that will support my people’s wishes and that possibly could work for them instead of looking at buildings that other regions have. When can the Minister put something concrete in this House to support my people?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve given direction to the Department of Health and Social Services that we’re moving more into prevention. Prevention is a big part of addictions, mental health and addictions. We have already started moving in that direction. It’s the same resources that we have in other areas and we want to move them into programs that we think are successful. We want to fund the programs for a longer term and, hopefully, increase the amount of money we are putting towards the addictions in the communities right across the territory. Thank you.
The Minister said yesterday that the Nats'ejee K'eh treatment facility has about a 49 percent occupancy rate. Can the Minister look at that treatment program? I know the Deh Cho health services board operates that. Can he look at that as a way to increase the on-the-land treatment programs with the money that they’re not using in the other regions where the communities like Colville Lake say we want on-the-land treatment programs for the people? This is the people’s land and this is where they want to heal. Can the Minister look at that?
As I indicated earlier, we are looking at on-the-land treatment programs. We have recently reviewed Nats’ejee K’eh. I have recently been in contact with the chairman of the board, and in fact, he has written me a letter inviting me to a meeting to meet with the Nats’ejee K’eh board, and they have various items that they wish to talk about pertaining directly to treatment in that facility. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When we look at on-the-land treatment programs, we look at it from an Aboriginal perspective through a holistic view, and that means looking at the whole four parts of the human being: the mental, the emotional, the physical and the spiritual. The Minister is on track on this process right here. I want to ask the Minister, has he looked at other types of programs that we’re talking about today that could be used as the model in the Northwest Territories, across Canada where people, Aboriginal people, all people can use this type of model for healing their addictions?
I’ve asked the department to look at best practices at that type of treatment. We recognize that most of the communities have a cultural area that the communities will frequent, and we want to look at those areas working with the communities. I think the communities understand that addictions are a huge issue. Certainly the health providers understand that addictions are a huge issue. We do want to look at treatment on the land and we want to look at the cultural aspect of it. All of the four aspects that the Member spoke of and their areas and everything and develop a program that would be very fitting for the communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Mr. Bromley.
