Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Members’ comments. The Members are correct; our current Mental Health Act came into force in 1985 and there has been no significant amendment since. This bill will completely replace the old Mental Health Act.
Mr. Speaker, there are gaps in our current mental health system and residents are falling through the
cracks. It’s clear that change is urgently needed and the time is now. This legislation will fill those gaps and modernize the current mental health framework. The bill streamlines the current assessment and admissions process and also removes some of the paperwork and administration burdens posed by the current act which is going to be appreciated by members but also the staff.
To protect the rights of patients and those acting on their behalf, the bill includes modern and comprehensive rights for patients and their substitute decision-makers.
It will establish a review board and panels to hear concerns from patients, families and medical practitioners. The review board will also automatically review the certificates of long-term patients to ensure that appropriate treatment care is being provided.
Perhaps one of the most significant aspects of Bill 55 is the provision of the assisted community treatment. Assisted community treatment will allow involuntary patients to receive mental health treatment, care and supervision while living in a community and will be customized to meet the specific treatment needs of patients. This is recognized as best practice and helps ensure appropriate support is provided to mental health patients in the community.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the support from Regular Members who have pushed hard and long for the development of this bill and I look forward to hearing the committee’s recommendations to help us make this bill even stronger in the best interest of residents throughout the Northwest Territories. So I am looking forward to having continued discussion with committee, and let’s get this bill right. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.