Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to touch on a few subjects, a little bit of repeat from my other colleagues, but I do think it’s important to further lend strength and emphasize in certain areas. I’ll certainly bounce around here on a few subjects.

One of the issues I’ve raised repeatedly over the years is a seniors charter. I have yet to see any development of it. I had the former Minister express an interest in it, and I certainly hope the department eventually finds time in something like this. We always seem to talk the talk about how important our seniors are, and many of our health benefits are geared towards ensuring they’re targeted to a quality of life for our seniors in their golden years. I would certainly stand with anyone and certainly stand against any decriers of saying that the Northwest Territories doesn’t offer some of the best benefits, but I would say that the problem with offering good benefits is somebody always wants more, and the challenge, of course, of meeting those needs is always high. We conversely know that we put such a high priority on our seniors’ care, physical and mental well-being that it is an important value. What we offer today I think needs to not only be matched but superseded because we do care and we’re the type of jurisdiction that puts it as the highest priority.

I, like my other colleagues, wanted to sort of emphasize a little further on the options for treatment programs here in the Northwest Territories. I look forward to the day of hearing that we’re going to find a residential treatment program up and running. I’ve watched people, even as of recently, deal with their struggles and knowing that their options of fighting for weeks on end, months on end of trying to be stable enough so they can be sent out and wait for that opportunity. It’s really disheartening in watching this. I know there is no magic wand. If there was, it would be certainly worth a fortune by all means. It would certainly change the face of addictions the way it is. I know it’s a real struggle, watching people with these things. It’s just day in and day out. I have yet to meet a single person who ever said they wanted this. It’s such a terrible burden of these addictions where it is what keeps people down and moving

forward. I don’t necessarily feel that the government pays enough attention to it. On the street you would ask people to talk on three or four issues in the Northwest Territories and it’s always up there as one of the most important issues of the day, yet I know things happen behind the scenes. I’ll be clear about that. I do know that, but it is still one of the absolute most important problems in the North, and yet, as I said, we don’t have a residential treatment program for addictions. I think that that’s something that we have to strive towards.

During the letting of the most recent medevac contract just prior to officially becoming implemented, I would say that one of the issues I was trying to raise about is the programming that they now offer in the new contract which is called CAMTS. It has really added financially, this particular program. I really wish the MLAs could have been in the early stages of the discussion with it. Even the director of the medical care at the Edmonton medevac facility felt it was asking a little much. It was very difficult for them at their location, which houses STARS air ambulance and is the receiver of all these medevacs to the Edmonton area. They felt it was an impossible challenge even for them to keep the credentials on a day in and day out basis. Our jurisdiction, which really I think mathematically, if I may define it this way, has approximately a medevac a day. I know it’s not exactly like that, but to illustrate the purpose, they felt that it was very small in comparison to the need of it and would add significantly to the costs to the medevac contract.

It’s easy to say we want the best care for all of our loved ones, and of course, when it’s your loved one, we always want the absolute best care. But we always have to say that if this is where we’re going, what next? We should be flying full C-130s fully loaded with doctors and nurses and medical equipment? I mean, where does it end? That’s the problem. I just worry that it’s a little sort of the old proverbial horse has left the barn situation here. To my knowledge, there was no early discussion before the contract went out for RFP. The only time we could raise it was during it, which the Minister didn’t want to talk about it, and I understand why he didn’t. I understand I’m not fooled by the engagement of the Fairness Commissioner. I’m prepared or don’t want to waste his time by saying I know what you’re going to say by saying you didn’t do it, couldn’t talk about. But I do say that it does add a fair bit of expense to the larger portion of the program.

Now, Mr. Chair, I see we’ve done some seat shuffling. We talk about how important the Mental Health Act is. It’s not to be treated as criticism that people are to be offended by, but it’s funny how much time we all keep saying that it’s so important. If it’s that important, why aren’t the resources being put towards it? I hear from almost every single

Member how important the Mental Health Act is. I hear it in the public. I was in Fort Smith talking to somebody; I was in Hay River talking to somebody not that long ago; I talked to somebody in one of the other communities about it. Everyone seems to know how important this act is and the update. I’ve worked with, sort of, in some ways or in other various ways, some families presently going through the challenges through these problems associated with the lack of power, lack of direction, lack of innovation in the current act. I think the staff at Stanton Hospital has done an incredible job on working with what they’ve got, but the challenges before them of working with the current act is that it lacks the ability to do the things we need to do. The problem that really becomes extremely frustrating is that everybody seems to know what the problems are, and I just wish we wouldn’t talk about how big the act is or how many few days left we have in the Assembly or, oh, it will be the next transition document. It’s these types of things that really define a legacy of work done or work not done. As I said in the beginning, it’s not to be treated as a criticism, but I really wish the resources were asked for. I don’t see anyone stopping any of those dollars being forwarded or supported in any way. Is it a matter of hiring another writer? Is it a legislative writer or those types of things? I don’t know anybody who wouldn’t support that. If somebody just spent 10 minutes with one of these families, and I have, to talk about the challenges these families have with the current act, you’d be certainly hard pressed not to feel terrible about the way the situation presently is.

To add insult to injury, if that wasn’t enough, I wish we had stabilized psychiatric care at our hospital, I wish we had more care, I wish we didn’t have to use locums, I wish we could find a way. I’m not sure what the right way is. I can tell you what I think needs to be done, but often we hear we can’t hire anyone so we have to hire locums that come in and out and learn about the patient every time they come in, then the new doctor comes in and adjusts the medication, modifies it and then it’s back to re-introducing the problem, getting to know folks, trusting folks. It’s a real stress point for the families and I really do try to imagine for the person who needs the help.

I am reminded of a recent case of a particular family and the RCMP picked up this family member because of an incident. I was very thankful, certainly the family was very thankful, the fact that the RCMP recognized that this person’s issue had more to do with mental health and ability than it was a legal problem and they should be dropped off at the RCMP station, press charges, et cetera, and how the story goes. I would say to the RCMP, I appreciate that we do have members out there recognizing that, but the system itself is bound by certain problems.

I see my time is grinding away very fast. It’s funny how fast it goes when you’re on the clock and how slow it goes when you are listening to somebody else. I am going to use every second of it up. No time unused.

I would certainly like to go back and point out that I have often heard about on-the-land programs. I have yet to see the details of how those work in a positive way. It’s really designed, certainly in talking to people about spiritual health and mental wellness, but it’s really not for folks with addictions.

I will end with that and by just saying I don’t think we can do enough with addictions, enough in the sense of enough resources. I would certainly support more work towards the Mental Health Act and any way to get that done. Mr. Chairman, my time is up but I just wanted to emphasize how important those two particular subjects are to me. Thank you.