Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On February 7th of this year, in this House, MLA Moses was asking about detox beds. The response from the Minister of Health and Social Services of the day was he said that there would be two detox beds in the North and there would be two detox beds in the South. This was very welcome news to people in Yellowknife. However, we continue to wait. The capital plan has just passed us and yet we’ve seen no results of these commitments. The Minister made a commitment. So the question to the Minister is: When will we see a promise made is a promise delivered? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll get that information from the department and provide it to the Member in committee this week or early next week.
The Minister’s binder would probably have a nice tab on this particular issue and I would encourage him to turn to that tab and read that page. Yellowknife continues to feel the cold shoulder of results and commitment by this government, especially on the issue of addictions. Northerners want addictions treatment.
Would the Minister read what the breaking binder page says on the tab and go to that tab and tell us what the Department of Health is doing on the detox issue?
Thank you. I’ve already said I’ll get that information for the Member and I will. I will provide it to the Member and committee in due course. Thank you.
This is an important issue; it’s not a new issue. Northerners are in pain, Northerners are suffering, Northerners need help. What is this Minister willing to do as far as his briefing binder will tell him? Turn to that page and tell Northerners what the commitment is. Would the Minister do that for us?
Thank you. These are important issues, and as I’ve already committed to the Member, I will get that information, I’ll provide it to committee and the Member in due course. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In a couple of weeks we have the operations plan. Obviously, we still have a lot of work to do on the addictions issue. There was no capital investment for detox. Promised, but never delivered.
Will this Minister be working towards the operation plan in a few weeks, which is in about four weeks in early December? Will he be making a commitment in this House that he’ll work to deliver those detox beds in that plan? Otherwise, there should be a clear statement that this government is not interested in this issue.
Thank you. This government, this department will live up to the commitments made by the current Ministers and the previous Ministers. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
