Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was a review done that sort of provided an analysis of the last 15 years and this review actually included a number of recommendations and information provided by the NWT coroner. Some of the key findings of this report were that, overall, suicide rates are decreasing over time, but that’s not true everywhere in the Northwest Territories. We know in the Beaufort-Delta the rates continue to be incredibly high and that suicide remains a critical public health issue in that area. We do know that alcohol and drugs are a common risk factor, but there are multiple issues that lead to an individual committing suicide. Alcohol and drugs happen to be one of them.

So we do have a Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan. We have improved our ability for individuals to get into treatment, if that is their concern. We’re also doing a number of other things throughout communities in the Northwest Territories. We have the Assist Program; we have the Mental Health Helpline; we have community counselling; we have a number of programs going on.

When the report came out, recognizing the concerns in the Beaufort-Delta, I did meet with leadership in the Beaufort-Delta as soon as that report was released and we had a discussion about what was in the report, the findings, and had an opportunity to talk to community leadership and to talk to them about what can we start doing to work together. The department has been meeting with people in the Beaufort-Delta on a regular basis and has been talking about other workshops or functions that could take place up there and we’re looking for community engagement and input as we move forward.