Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly hope I don’t hurt anyone’s feelings when I say this, but this government is addicted to the status quo. I am telling you, all we hear is this bunk message over and over again that they don’t want to do anything.
I want to hear today, what has the Minister of Health and Social Services done by way of submission by providing a plan for infrastructure such as a treatment or a detox centre to the FMB, that’s the Financial Management Board, and what can he tell this House today and show this House today that he is working on this particular problem? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is nothing in the capital plan for new treatment centres, new detox centres, as most people in the House know. We have made a decision at the beginning of this government that any infrastructure needed for addictions, treatment of addictions, would be from current infrastructure, existing infrastructure that’s owned by the government and we’re still on that task. We haven’t changed in the first year of this government to all of a sudden make a decision that we’re going to set aside other capital issues or plans that have been on the books for several years and then replace it with treatment centres and detox centres. Thank you.
When we talk about holding the budget line, that’s nothing but malarkey. Everybody in this building would support a treatment centre option submitted to the FMB.
Why isn’t the Minister of Health and Social Services demanding the Financial Management Board approve that submission to build a treatment centre in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Again, I’ve got to go back to the fiscal strategy of this government, that we are headed in a direction where we’re going to take a look at some fiscal responsibility, fiscal strategy within the first couple of years, and then within the last couple of years, the House knows that we’re planning on expanding our infrastructure budget. At that point, if this is what we determine is the best use of our dollars, that the best way to address this issue is to put people inside a treatment centre or put six people inside a detox centre and that is the best strategy for alcohol and drugs, then I’ll go down that path. Thank you.
I’m tired of the Health Minister defending the Finance Minister’s job. I’m sorry. When will the Minister stop this bunkum message and finally say he’s going to fight at the Financial Management Board table and demand a treatment centre gets built here in the Northwest Territories, whether it’s in Inuvik, whether it’s in Yellowknife or Norman Wells that we get this job done? Thank you.
Thank you. First, it’s existing infrastructure. If we’re going to build a treatment centre, if we’re going to develop a treatment centre, rather, we’re going to use existing infrastructure. There is no plan at this point to put a treatment centre anywhere. Number two, the treatment centre we do have is not used to full capacity. We’re going to try to use that treatment centre to its maximum capacity before we add more treatment centres. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This Minister is defending his little committees to run around. We’ve studied this problem to death.
What does the Minister of Health and Social Services think that this committee is going to tell him that we don’t have binders, cases and truckloads of paper that is going to be new? So what does he think that’s going to be new delivered by this committee on the need of a treatment centre in the Northwest Territories, as I said, whether it’s in Inuvik, Yellowknife, Hay River or even Norman Wells?
Thank you. It may not be a tremendous departure from what we already know, but we are going to have buy-in, and in order to get buy-in, it’s a way to move forward on this issue. If the communities come up with a solution themselves, they’re going to be committed to making sure that the solutions that they’re recommending to this forum will work. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to consult with the people, get the people to tell us what they think the issues are. Yes, we may have done a bunch of reports, I don’t know of a bunch of reports being done sitting on the shelves and things like that, I know there’s been some health reports done, but the thing is, I don’t think individuals have gone to the communities and documented what the communities want to do in order to address this issue. That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to get the communities to tell us. It’s been long enough that this government and other governments have always told the communities this is the way we’re going to address your issue. So it’s time for them to tell us how they want their issue addressed. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
