Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I’d like to ask the Minister if there are any plans to offer wellness programs at the Gwich’in wellness centre this year.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m hoping that this was one of the areas that the Minister’s Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness would be looking at. I know that infrastructure is available and exists within existing infrastructure that is designed for wellness and treatment. I’m hoping that it’s looked at, but I don’t have an indication now that they have looked at that. Not because they haven’t, but because they just haven’t advised me that they have. Initially when we rolled out our wellness plan, I don’t believe there was money allocated to work within that wellness camp.
In the past few years, we’ve had great success at the Gwich’in wellness camp offering programs to elders and other people who needed help dealing with everything that’s come out of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. There is a growing demand for wellness in all regions but especially up in the Mackenzie Delta where we don’t have facilities available. I’d like to ask the Minister if he will work with the Gwich’in Tribal Council to offer programs that people could take advantage of.
I am prepared to have the department and the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority engage the Gwich’in Tribal Council to see if it’s feasible for us to do some wellness work at that camp.
