The barriers of the current act must be overcome as quickly as possible, because access must be unobstructed in all regions of our territory. I’ve heard from people who’ve contacted me directly from Inuvik, Hay River, Fort Smith and I’ve even talked to families here in Yellowknife and they’re all saying the same thing, that the families are struggling and they really want to help but they feel powerless. Professionals have told me that they feel handcuffed because their act is archaic. So many other things have been said as well.
Concerns such as lack of community treatment provisions in a timely way or even simple access, patient rights continue to be challenging. I’ve often heard from the medical staff about their inability to help. Even the redundant paperwork, one physician had told me that it says 19 and then blank, so it clearly shows that the paperwork alone is, minimum, 15 years old. It goes back to the last century.
The rights and safety of these patients must be paramount, and I know the department has the Mental Health Act on its agenda, but things, as we see ourselves, continue to burden these families and burden these people. When they do have the courage to come forward, they wonder if the help is really there.
The old act is kind of like being in the Dark Ages, and I’m sorry to use such a colourful metaphor, but at the end of the day, that’s how the people feel.
In summary, any further delay in the development of the new NWT act, and we must do anything we can. I look forward to my questions and the clear answers about how we move this initiative forward.