Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the life of this Assembly we've seen the Department of Health and Social Services release the Quality Mental Health Care Action Plan, the Mental Health Strategic Framework, and we've seen a draft Child and Youth Mental Wellness Action Plan.

While I don't like endless strategies and actions plan, I give the department credit for focusing its efforts on addressing mental health issues in the NWT. However, there is one element that is missing from every one of these plans: ensuring that all residents who suffer from mental health issues have access to all necessary treatment options, including prescription medication, if that's what is required.

Right now the fact is that there are people in the territory suffering needlessly simply because they can't afford the medication. This issue is often overlooked. Most people in the territory have prescription drug coverage either because they're registered under the Indian Act, are Indigenous Metis, are 60 years old or over, are receiving income assistance, or have benefits through their employer or their spouse's or parents' employer, so the issue of not being able to afford medication isn't brought up often enough.

However, Mr. Speaker, medications for mental health conditions can easily cost $500 to $1,000 a month. Not every mental health issue requires medication, and some people suffering from a certain condition may need medication while others suffering from the same condition don't; however, when prescription drugs are needed to treat these issues, they're needed.

Sometimes they're needed to improve the quality of one's life, or even just to give them something that can be considered a quality of life, and sometimes, Mr. Speaker, these medications can mean the difference between life and death.

Not only do we need to think about those who benefit from medication who haven't yet received it, we have to consider the fact that there are serious mental and physical health effects that occur when a person abruptly starts/stops taking psychiatric drugs. This happens when someone loses benefits as a result of, say, a change in employment or relationship status.

Extended health benefits to residents for certain conditions is not unheard of in the NWT. In fact, the GNWT does it for those suffering from cancer, hepatitis, cirrhosis, and about 50 other conditions. Absent from that list, Mr. Speaker, are any mental health conditions. When I brought this up with the Minister before, he stated that there's a cost involved with extending these benefits.

Mr. Speaker, mental disorders in youth are ranked as the second-highest hospital care expenditure in Canada after injuries. Medical conditions linked to depression have a global cost of $1 trillion annually, and, like many negative social indicators, the rates of mental health issues in the NWT are many times higher than that in the rest of Canada. So, Mr. Speaker, I think there is a cost with not doing this. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.