Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you have heard me speak many times about alcohol and substance abuse, not only in the Tlicho region but in all of the regions throughout the Northwest Territories. Remember, there was a time when there was no alcohol or drugs in our communities. Now they are everywhere and many people feel powerless to control that.
The impact of alcohol and drugs have been devastating on our people. A person is affected mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Relationships are broken. Parents become unavailable and homes become unsafe. The families and the children are the ones who pay for this.
Mr. Speaker, I am saying this in a simple way here but as I speak, there are so many people in the midst of their addictions.
Mr. Speaker, there are also many peoples who want to be free of their addictions and are frighting to stay sober. We need communityled solutions for addictions and substance abuse recovery programs and aftercare. This is often overlooked. We must be able to continue to support people once they have completed an addiction recovery program.
Currently, there are not enough communityled and ontheland addictions recovery programs or aftercare programs available in the NWT.
In 2020, Minister Green of the Department of Health and Social Services was quoted by CBC that she was not aware of differential access to the kind of care people receive in Yellowknife compared to the rest of the territory.
Has Minister Green been to the community of Behchoko? To Gameti? To Wekweeti? To Whati? I can tell you there is a major difference in access to care for those in need of addictions and substance abuse support in the Tlicho region compared to Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Thank you. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
