Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I brought up the issues that we've been having with the communities in regards to just needing help for our youth, our elders, for the community gatherings, and once, you know, the restrictions are lifted, you know, if the budget's passed, I see a lot of monies that are available for us, for the Beaufort Delta, potentially for getting people into the community and doing like sharing circles and stuff like that to help the people that we represent and who we work for.
Mr. Speaker, is the Minister of Health willing to assist us in doing that and not just giving us a 1800 number to call, because that doesn't work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, thank you to the Member for that question. There's no question that the pandemic has been very hard on the mental health of the whole population. People at different times have been stressed; they've been lonely; they've been anxious; they've been worried. And we have tried to respond by providing counselling in a virtual setting if COVID restrictions are in place, or facetoface if not. I realize that Tuktoyaktuk is short a couple of counsellors. And the primary reason for that is because there's no housing for them, and so people have been offered jobs but have been, in the end, unable to take them because they have nowhere to live. So I want to acknowledge that their counselling workforce is not up to speed. But that said, there are other ways of obtaining services from the people who are there through the community counselling program as well as through online and telephone services. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the Minister for that. I'd really like to see how we used to do it four or five years ago, when you're travelling in with three or four people, a team that comes in for three or four days, able to work with the community that are certified to listen to people's concerns and they know how to deal with the stresses in life and, you know, suicide prevention workshops and stuff like that. We really need that. We can't just endemic is coming right now. We're going into that next phase of the endemic now, they're saying. So now we need help. And like I said, are we able to bring people into the Beaufort Delta, into each community, to help them? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recognize that the Member is talking about some issues that preexisted COVID and for which we have specialized support funds, such as the suicide prevention fund. And so I hope that the community has applied for those funds and considered how to use them. They are to address that particular problem.
In the time that I've been Health Minister, there was a travelling team that went to Tuktoyaktuk and spent a few days there. And I think it was around about January of last year. And so I'm certainly happy to inquire whether that kind of a response is possible again. So what I understand that the Member is asking for is a oneweek intensive visit to his community to provide facetoface counselling services, and that's the request that I will make. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that. The thing is, like, you know, it's us as leaders that we have to bring forward stuff like this for the people that we represent because we see it, and we live it every day, the hurt and the pain that our constituents go through, you know. Sometimes I'm on calls, you know, for an hour trying to help people. It always come down, you know, and, you know, for the alcoholism, for short of food, for just everything, and then they're being turned away by our government's different departments. Mr. Speaker, it's us as leadership that have to make a difference. Us in this House that don't have to have the community supply for this monies. We should be providing that. It's my job to provide service for the communities I represent. Not only Tuk; I got Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok, and Paulatuk, the most northernly communities in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, that need help. My constituents need help. And I know this Minister wants to work with me. So just say yes, and we'll bring people up as soon as the endemic time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is right. I certainly would like to help his communities to gain or regain their mental health. I said that I would inquire about sending a travelling team to Tuktoyaktuk. I'm not sure about the staffing levels off the top of my head in his other communities and whether they are as shortstaffed as they are in Tuk. But that's something that I will inquire about.
At the end of the day, we want people to be living their best lives, and we're prepared to support that in whatever way we can. And if that's a travelling team while there aren't people in the positions permanently, then we'll certainly look at that. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I again thank the Minister for that. I'll bring, you know, everybody healthy living and for the communities to try to provide best service we can, and I'm really happy to hear that. We are short. And it's not only Nunakput as a whole but the Beaufort Delta. We have nine communities up there that really need help for poststress, everything, anxiety. There's so much stuff that came out of this last two years. We can't even grieve for our families at funerals, Mr. Speaker. You know, having ten people going to a funeral and stuff like that, it's tough on everybody. It drains everybody so bad. And we're in a real tough situation. I'm happy the sun's coming back now, you know, and brighter days, longer days, that people are able to get out. But working with the Minister to get to all the communities with this travelling team, it doesn't have to be out of Yellowknife; we could contract people out. Is that an option? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate again what a difficult time this has been for people across the NWT in all the age groups. There is nobody who has been unaffected by the stress and the strain of the pandemic and now trying to rebound in the light coming back; it's still very cold.
Before committing to helping the entire Beaufort Delta, I want to take a look at the differing service levels in different communities, because I don't think all of them have the same needs. It is possible for us to contract services. We do that for child and youth community counsellors. We do that where there are fewer than 75 students in the school. If that's the case, there isn't a resident school counsellor. And so we can certainly look at all the possibilities there.
I also invite, I've realized this isn't the answer to the problem in and of itself, but the Help Line is there 24/7 to deal with people who are in crisis now; they can't wait for the travelling team or an appointment. And so I would really encourage the Member to post that number on his Facebook page for people who are in crisis imminently. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
