Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to talk about the Aboriginal Youth and Partners Society in Edmonton and about the uncertainty of outpatient clients in the Northwest Territories who are living in that facility. Two of the clients in that facility are my constituents, so I have become involved in this matter. As it stands today, Mr. Speaker, NWT clients are being asked by this government to move to a new service provider, Edmonton Creative Services. They are concerned that the service will not be good, and they have indicated that they do not want to move.
The Department of Health and Social Services will no longer fund the Aboriginal Partners and Youth Society simply because it has not approved of residential care provided in Alberta. Clients who wish to remain have to make their own funding arrangements. This is unlikely to happen. Mr. Speaker, with them, the two clients in the Aboriginal Partners and Youth Society, who are from the Sahtu region, have contacted me to ask for my assistance. Mr. Speaker, I cannot advocate for a cause that opens them to lawsuits. This would be irresponsible for the legislature. However, Mr. Speaker, I will say that I am angry with the way this choice has been handled. The worst that the Minister has done is that he did not have the decency to speak to the families of the clients in person; he did it by phone. Even if the department works with the Aboriginal Partners and Youth Society to assist this client to get a ticket, will it be sometime before this happens. No matter what, there will be disruptions from clients who need stability. I cannot help but feel the frustration I have. Once again aboriginal people from the North find themselves thousands of miles away from their home, their families and their culture at the mercy of the bureaucratic system, to which they and their families have virtually no involvement and certainty in the discussions of making this decision.
Mr. Speaker, I feel very strongly that residents of the Sahtu region should not be sent a thousand miles from their home to seek the care they need. One million dollars a year to house nine individuals, Mr. Speaker, $1 million. For $1 million one would think that we could do something to meet the needs closer to home. Mr. Speaker, this is the last day that this assembly is together. This is my last chance to speak about the issue. My sympathy goes out to the clients and their families that have to deal with the frustration and the unfortunate situation. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue with my statement.