Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With 1,082 days and approximately 18 hours left in our term, there is still time for the Minister of Health to finally do the right thing. What is the right thing, you might want to ask. Well, it is still time to address the need for a treatment centre for people who are addicted to hard drugs such as crack, crystal meth and even prescription drug abuse. I am confident that I have raised this issue alone at least six or seven times in this term alone. I have mentioned this particular problem countless times in the last term of the 16th and even in the 15th Assembly, and still this issue continues to be ignored by this government.
Right now people are addicted to these drugs as well as other types of hard drugs, but there is no true treatment for them in the NWT, away from friends, family and community support. Every month goes by and more citizens complain about the lack of opportunities and services provided here in the North. If the Minister hasn’t heard the call from me, during the last six weeks in the municipal election I have heard countless candidates and citizens calling for more options to address treatment problems here.
What message does this Minister need to hear before he finally addresses this lack of treatment centre problem with a targeted response? I agree with the direction the new Mental Health and Addictions Strategy is going, but it lacks the option of a treatment centre for people who need to break free from chronic hard drug usage.
I continue to call for a detox centre here in the Northwest Territories, but we cannot mix the two. There is room for both options. I am willing to take one. I am willing to take any option if this Minister is finally willing to act. Quite frankly, I am sure the Minister is tired that I keep raising this particular subject. I am sure, as well, at the same time, he is frustrated that the impacts this problem is having on our health system.
We need a targeted solution to help all Northerners and our communities from being burdened by this big city problem. Undoubtedly, there are examples in other jurisdictions that have worked. Why don’t we have a northern solution to what is not a northern problem? What message does this Minister send to our youth – our future – by ignoring the seriousness of this particular problem? If we keep avoiding this problem, we will never solve it. I ask the Minister to stop saying no and finally say yes to a problem that we need addressed for the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
