Well, nothing stops us from doing that other than the fact that there is no real, I don’t think… I mean, the phone lines we’ve tried, like the Health Line, per cost basis it wasn’t the most effective service because our people still want to have face-to-face counselling. People don’t even like calling the RCMP on a phone line. Our people would like to have care providers face to face.

My point is we have those services available in communities for people to go to for their treatment options or aftercare or anything like that. I don’t think there’s anything stopping us. It’s one option, but it would be a whole new initiative. Thank you.

What’s stopping the department from making it part of the programming dollars we supply to various service agencies that provide addictions treatment and support for obligating them as part of the service agreement to provide an aftercare phone line for people to talk about, perhaps, the strains of fighting their addictions? If it’s good enough for Poundmaker outside of Edmonton to have a follow-up line where they actually do follow-up calls and whatnot to ensure the clientele have gone through their program so that they know they’re still supported outside once they’ve finished the program and while they continue to struggle with the addiction until they gain control, why wouldn’t it be a considerable effort that we’d pursue as a consideration of our service level agreements? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Ms. Meade.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What would stop the Department of Health from making this a requirement of the service level agreement

we do sign with these agencies to set up a phone number where people, not just a phone number, but also requiring the counsellors to do follow-up phone calls with people who have worked through a treatment process? What would stop the department from doing that? If you made it part of your agreement, perhaps it wouldn’t cost significantly anymore for asking them to do some follow-up. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We couldn’t do that to authorities. We couldn’t ask them to do something unless we could provide the funding. To have a 24-hour phone line for every authority, going by the H1N1 flu line, those are very, very expensive program options. We have to make a decision. It’s a duplication of service. Yet nothing stops us from requiring the authorities as long as we are willing to provide the funding. A 24-hour phone line will require two to three staff. That’s, right away, $300,000, and that’s people with knowledge about addictions. If we were to do that to all six authorities, right there it’s at least a couple million dollars. I don’t have a couple million dollars sitting around. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman. Perhaps the more efficient way of doing it is making it a part of our service level agreements we’ve cast in...(inaudible)...some type of compromised negotiation in having the agencies that we actually negotiate directly with. In other words, the Department of Health directly negotiates and draws up service level agreements with certain groups. Why don’t we have them have these groups phone people as part of the Aftercare Program on a contiguous basis of some manner to make sure people are on track with their programming? Would it not serve some interest in everyone’s efforts, be it service agency or the government, in trying to find a way to stop them from coming back for further treatment in the future by a little proactive care? You just made the case of not doing a 1-800 number that’s not staffed 24 hours a day. I find that reasonable, but you could demand that we require a higher level of service. That could be done today if your department was willing to commit to it. Thank you.

We have, I believe, 62 positions dealing with mental health and addictions already. There is underground support for that work. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Lee. My clock shows that it’s 6:00 p.m., so in recognition of the clock, I’ll now rise and report progress. Minister Lee, if I could get you to please thank your witnesses. Sergeant-at-Arms, if I could please get you to escort the witnesses, that would be fantastic.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 133-16(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates, 2011-2012, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. A motion is on the floor. Do we have a seconder? The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

---Carried

Item 23, third reading of bills. Madam Clerk, orders of the day.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Thursday, February 10, 2011, at 1:30 p.m.

---ADJOURNMENT

The House adjourned at 6:14 p.m.