Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in Hay River, there is an eight-month wait list to see a mental health counsellor. That is completely unacceptable. During my time as MLA, I have raised concerns about the availability and accessibility of mental health services in Hay River at every opportunity, but those concerns seem to be falling on deaf ears.

An eight-month-long wait list is ridiculous. It shouldn't be allowed to happen. The wait time to see a counsellor in Hay River is more than two-and-a-half times longer than in Yellowknife; it is eight times longer than in Behchoko; and it is 20 to 30 times longer than in Fort Smith, which is just down the highway. How is that even possible, Mr. Speaker? It boggles the mind.

I understand that, for very urgent situations, there are at least some same-day appointments available, and those experiencing mental health emergencies are supposed to receive appointments within four weeks. However, Mr. Speaker, it can be hard to ask for help, and many people resist seeking help until their situations become emergencies to them. Making them wait another eight months is inhumane. Who knows what could happen in those eight months? People's mental health issues could cause them to lose their job, damage relationships, develop addictions, and worse.

From what I have heard, the staff at Community Counselling in Hay River are good at what they do. They strive to deliver the best service possible, and they have even undertaken some new initiatives to help the community, like offering an eight-week, mindfulness-based, cognitive therapy workshop to help adults prevent recurrent episodes of depression. They are providing services that I would argue pay for themselves. I cannot imagine being a counsellor is easy, and I am sure the lack of resources makes it even more difficult. We need to support these people, or else we will lose them and we will foster a revolving-door environment, which is a terrible thing when it comes to client care. We need to address this situation now, before it gets worse.

Mr. Speaker, I hear lots of talk from the government about the importance of good mental health, so I want to know why this situation was allowed to get this bad and what is going to be done to fix it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.