Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to take a few minutes to really speak to the benefits of respite services in the words of the people themselves. I want to start with expressions of benefits about the family members who have disabilities. What are they gaining from the respite services we currently provide and are talking about discontinuing? A break from their families. That seems odd, but if you think about it, you can understand that pretty quickly: the opportunity to develop social skills and aptitudes, relationship building, concepts, learning opportunities, partnerships, new opportunities for all kinds of things, leadership and organizational skills, community membership, the opportunity to become more active, to increase their resilience.
Respite workers replace extended family members when none are present. We know the North has many families that have moved from their communities and don’t have extended families present. Trust and undivided attention to family members with disabilities. Again, that’s certainly understandable when the Member is from a large family.
Let me talk briefly about some of the benefits enjoyed by the parents and siblings of a family member with a disability. The opportunity to reboot or recharge. It’s a vital break. It’s my only break. Physical and emotional break. It’s a chance to re-bond. It’s a chance to paint a room, to go grocery shopping or simply go for a walk. It’s a chance for family or adult conversation. It’s a chance to do homework in peace. It provides new hope. It’s a time to remember who we are and reconnect with self. It helps with challenges. It’s simply a godsend. Respite services make us better parents, provides the knowledge that family members with a disability are, indeed, safe during that time. It’s a chance to take a deep breath. It’s a chance of a normal life in our abnormal circumstances. It’s an opportunity for night classes, which would, of course, equal better employment opportunities and perhaps better care for their families.
Even respite services have benefits to share with us: ultimate joy, peaceful feeling of satisfaction. Their work is making a huge difference. They’re providing a needed service. They feel fortunate. They’re offering people an opportunity to be part of their community, and they have developed close relationships with families, including family members with disabilities.
These issues raised represent fundamental needs of families dealing with real situations. It’s a chance to shop for groceries, to go for a walk, to look after the real basics. Failure to deal with this need could result in an escalation of related health and social issues with much greater but avoidable costs.
As legislators and representatives of the people, we face a continuing challenge on how to allocate our resources, on how to balance the many demands and needs with the realities of what is available. In the case of respite services, we have heard from people in a very personal way that provides the clarity needed for decision-making. It is clear today that the balance we seek includes the decision to put priority on funding respite services. The Minister has expressed an understanding of the situation.
Mr. Speaker, I support this motion and will expect to see this government give an appropriate and specific response in the budget presented this coming February with a clear solution to providing uninterrupted and ongoing respite services where cuts are currently planned and ongoing or enhanced support throughout the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.