Our intention was, in follow-up through the Caucus meeting that was held in Detah with the seven Aboriginal government leaders, that it was our intention to pull together what we feel that we’ve heard and what we’ve discussed with the Aboriginal governments and that we would all sit together and put forward some indication of what we had heard, what the government would be proposing and use that as the basis for a follow-up meeting and for further discussion with the Aboriginal governments. Our expectation was to look at doing something in the next two to three months, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to continue my Member’s statement with some

questions on the issue of a territorial addictions treatment centre that is much needed in the Northwest Territories and as and I’ve talked to the Minister of Health and Social Services on a number of occasions. I’ve talked about although it would be nice to have one here in Yellowknife, the fact is if you’re behind this issue, which means you want to support this issue, a territorial treatment centre could happen in any region in the Northwest Territories. It doesn’t have to happen here. I mean, the criteria comes down to, really, is it accessible and can it be managed well.

My question to the Minister of Health and Social Services continues to be: What action is being taken by him to lead on this particular initiative to establish, or I should say re-establish a territorial addictions centre here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a very serious issue across the North, especially in the small communities. They need to address the addiction issues. Right now the Department of Health and Social Services has out-of-territory placements where when they cannot be treated in the one treatment facility that does exist in the Northwest Territories, on which the department spends about $2 million. The department spends $6 million annually in supporting all of the various health and social services authorities targeted to addiction treatment and mental health. The department also spends, specific to Yellowknife and the regions that the Department of Health and Social Services provides services to – that’s Lutselk'e and Fort Resolution – $1.1 million on addictions and mental health services. Thank you.

What’s stopping the Department of Health and Social Services from finally taking up action on this particular problem, getting their focus correctly on the issue and start planning for an addictions centre here in the Northwest Territories? It could be in any region, and the planning and execution of this plan could start in this government and be a hallmark by the end of this government. Thank you.

Use, lack of use. Right now there’s a treatment centre in Hay River and it’s 49 percent occupied. The use is 49 percent. For some reason or another it’s not being used. Although the department has gone out and talked to the people, the people are saying what we need is on-the-land treatment, on-the-land addictions and mental health treatment. The department is trying to move in that direction. That is what is preventing us from building another treatment facility in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

The Minister and I have spoken at length regarding this issue that the Northwest Territories requires a detox centre. As I’ve spoken to him, and sometimes I think he even agrees, that Stanton itself, by virtue of its design, is not a detox centre for people who have addictions. That’s the type of focus I continue here, and relentlessly want to pursue and see the government take on that challenge. Nats’ejee K’eh, with all due respect, does not suit that type of need.

When will the department start planning for an appropriate treatment centre, as I’ve discussed here today? Thank you.

That’s correct; detoxification and treatment are two different things. Detoxification sometimes occurs in the hospital for several days in order to prepare someone for treatment. Detoxification is sometimes used when somebody is coming into the hospital for detoxification, or it’s the withdrawal management system that is run by the Salvation Army here in Yellowknife. There are two separate issues. Are there enough facilities in the Northwest Territories to provide detox services to everyone? Probably not, but that’s what we have at this time. Thank you.

Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

It’s no reason to give up, just because we don’t think we can solve the whole problem. I mean, that’s part of the reason why we’re here, to keep fighting this problem until we get it solved or we get the problem moved forward to a solution. One of the Sally Ann representatives talks about the types of addictions being treated here and he calls it, sort of, the stage two portion of the problem. We’re not focusing in on the root cause or the root solutions to the problem.

As many of us all know, due to research that I’ve done, the territorial addictions centre, the last one that closed down closed down strictly because of financial reasons, not because it wasn’t needed. It was struck down because of that singular failing. Again, not because addictions problems had been solved in the North.

Would the Minister be willing to look at drawing up a plan so we can work towards the future in our budgeting process with all Members about designing a detox centre solution here for the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

At this time the Department of Health and Social Services is going out to the communities. We recognize that this is an issue. We recognize that alcohol is an issue. We recognize that in small communities across the North and the part of Yellowknife that sometimes 90 percent of the small community issues pertaining to health are related to addictions. We are prepared to

work with the communities. We are asking the communities what do they feel the solutions are. The communities are coming back and saying we need treatment on the land. We need to get our people out on the land, and that’s what we’re pursuing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement on the federal government revisiting the Canada Old Age Security and reforming it. I’d like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about what is the Minister and our government doing today to protect the NWT seniors from any negative impacts resulting from the federal changes to the Old Age Security system. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We are closely monitoring what the federal move is on the old age pension. That’s been a controversial issue at the national level. We, as the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, do provide assistance to, as the Member indicated, income support clientele. If the move goes forward as we’ll probably see, we need to prepare our department. We need to prepare the GNWT on the repercussions of the decision that is going to be made. We will be closely monitoring what the decisions are going to be. Mahsi.

I would like to know, has our government made any contact recently to make sure that we have some input at the federal level. I would like to know what changes are likely to be needed in our own support of seniors when the federal government changes the Old Age Security rules. Thank you.

There is ongoing discussion with the federal counterparts, with our colleagues out there, and we do stress our concerns as well. But at the end of the day, the decision is the federal decision, and again, we have to be prepared for the decision that will come down and if we need to make changes to our policy, then we definitely need to look at those that will impact the two-year span that we’re talking about from 65 to 67. Again, we will monitor the decision that is coming down from the federal government. Mahsi.

I would like to know what is the likely cost impact on our government of the changes to the Old Age Security system. Has the

Minister taken the time to assess what the changes will really mean financially to our system? Thank you.

This is a real recent decision that is going to be coming down and we haven’t really figured out the repercussions or the impacts in the Northwest Territories. We will be working on the potential impacts and we can share that information with the Members. Mahsi.

I think the real impact is that the rest of Canada, they do have, the seniors have the ability to continue working if they wish, and I think that was one of the biggest concerns of the federal government. However, in our remote and small communities, seniors don’t have that option, yet they will be impacted the same. So they’ll have to wait an additional two years is the concern. I’d like to ask the Minister if he will raise this aspect with the federal government that once again our needs in the North are unique.

Yes, most definitely we will be raising our concerns. As the Premier has met with the Prime Minister and Miltenberger met with the Finance Minister, both are discussions we continue to have with the federal Ministers to raise our concerns.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much there, Mr. Speaker. Just, once again, the financial aspects will be huge for our government. What is this government doing to make sure that we have money to take care of our seniors in the future? Thank you.