Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, addressing effects of trauma is a priority of this government, of this Assembly. When people leave the territory for drug and alcohol treatment or go away to jail, they come home to the same environment and lifestyle that they left. Many return to drinking or using. To help them with this problem, the GNWT allocated $1.6 million for transitional housing for addiction recovery aftercare last year.
But, Mr. Speaker, several people in the communities I represent talk to me about going on-the-land aftertreatment. They want to slowly integrate back into the community. Out on the land, they will continue to learn about their culture, their family history, and continue to use the skills they learned at treatment.
We need our own people who have sobered up and cleaned up their lives with lived experience to help our people. We know when a community wants to change something in their community, the changes need to come from the community. We have had too many times when changes come from headquarters or from other larger centres, and it does not work in our small remote communities. The people know what they need. They need support to enhance their way of doing things in the communities like the culture, the crafts, harvesting on the land, preparation of traditional food, on-the-land tours and places to go where people can participate in cultural activities. Otherwise, in the future, we will not have a true culture for anyone to come and see.
In November, the GNWT set up an on-the-land camp 45 minutes outside of Yellowknife. The ten-week camp was intended to provide addiction shelter space for people who are homeless and offer cultural programming and counselling for people living with addictions. Mr. Speaker, if this program was successful, as the government has said, then we should look at starting similar pilot programs in other communities. Why was it shut down?
On-the-land aftercare will save this government money because fewer people will return to treatment, but we must invest in small communities. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to request more time to do my -- finish my statement. I seek unanimous consent.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, colleagues. On-the-land aftercare will save this government money because fewer people will return to treatment, but we must invest in small communities. There are elders in our communities who know the land and who know how to live a sober lifestyle. Mr. Speaker, this government needs to respect the traditional way of life in each community. We need more aftercare programs like the ones piloted in Yellowknife. I will have questions for the Minister of health. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake.
