Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier just quoted, "How much money is one life worth," when speaking about the COVID budget. My question is: I ask the Premier how much are the lives worth of those who we have lost since March 2020 to addictions, which could be secondary to mental health issues and trauma? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Honourable Premier.
Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. I stand by the Grand Chief's message: how much money is one life worth? We could use that in many instances. The Grand Chief used it with the secretariat and our measures in there, so I don't want to twist his words, but it can be used with many things.
Addictions and mental health has been something that all societies have been struggling with for many, many, many decades. It's not as simple, in my opinion, as just putting a treatment centre in Yellowknife. Treatment centres work for some; they don't work for all. AA works for some, but it doesn't work for all. On-the-land healing works for some, but it doesn't work for all. School supports, the child counsellors might work for some, but it won't work for all.
What I am saying is that we need a continuum of services, and this government is doing the best to provide that continuum of services to address our mental health and our addictions within communities. Again, it's something I hold to my heart. The reason I came in here was because of homeless people, and I have said that before. If I was to share some of the stories I've heard of the homeless women, I would shock Members on the other side, and that's why I came in, to make changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There is a budget of about $86 to $87 million over two-and-a-half years for COVID. GNWT amounts for addictions and on-the-land have been quoted in the House last week: $2.3 million a year for addictions treatment; $1.8 million for on-the-land healing. That is $4.1 million a year. That is $10 million for 2.5 years. It doesn't add up for me. When is the Premier going to look at a better way of providing addiction services or if her Minister, if she wants to pass it on, can look at a better way of providing addiction services? We have mental health counsellors, all those types of things, in our system. They are burnt out, too. We are short-staffed, so we need to look at a better way. Maybe it is putting more money behind it.
The Minister of Health and Social Services would like to take this answer. I would like to defer it to her.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for the question. Mr. Speaker, what the Department of Health and Social Services is doing early next year is to survey people who have received treatment in addictions centres to understand directly from them, the people who have used these centres, about the successes and shortcomings of their experience. I am very interested in seeing that information. What I remember from our tour that you were on, as well, Mr. Speaker, as a member of the social development committee, is there was quite a gap between what was being said by people in the NWT and what was being said by clients in the centres. I am very interested in that first-hand information to understand whether the approach we are taking now is one that is resonating for the clients themselves. Thank you.
Addictions come from, like we said, we have drugs and alcohol. There is usually a root cause, but I know one of the things that we have lost a lot to is overdoses and alcohol and freezing to death. Will the Premier work with her Cabinet Member, maybe the Minister of Justice, to make sure that maybe we can have a -- everybody knows in the communities who are the drug dealers and how these drugs are coming in, but everybody is afraid. We need to have a way to work with the RCMP so people have a safe way to report and do kinds of things. As long as we have the supply there, we are going to have the problems.
The Member is right. Mental health and addictions are not just one department's responsibility. It goes across all departments. In fact, it's a community issue. The stories I heard from women, when they were children, what happened to them did not happen because of our government. It happened because of people, so it does take a community to deal with the mental health and addictions that we are facing. Mr. Speaker, what I can commit to is that we will bring this issue to the committee of Cabinet or social committee, and we will look at a wholesome, all-of-government approach to dealing with that. However, Mr. Speaker, in respect, I would like to see the results from the survey that the Health and Social Services Minister has committed to. At that point, it would make sense that we would sit together and look at what we can do from a whole-of-government approach. Again, it will mean that all Members will need to look at that, as well, and all communities. We need to deal with this. It's not okay.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is just more of a comment to the Premier. I am glad that you are going to take this further, and if there is a survey, I am reaching out to the residents of the Northwest Territories to make sure they take part in this. It's going to take not just one community. It's going to take the whole territory to deal with this, and I don't want to lose more family members, more constituents, to overdose, freezing to death this winter because of addictions or anything. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. That is taken as a comment. Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
