Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the 1980s Yellowknife was a prosperous goldmining town where only a handful of people did not have homes. These folks were known as "The Bailey Boys" as Reverend and Mrs. Bailey cared for these souls with love and compassion. The downtown was bustling, commerce was thriving, and people felt safe to walk with their children on the streets. Fast-forward 40 years, Yellowknife is the diamond capital of North America, the population has grown and, with it, so has access to money, designer drugs, and alcohol. The capital now plays host to a bourgeoning population of people who are homeless, have addictions, and are in desperate need of help.

As Northerners, we are prone to addiction. The roots of our addiction issues have long been linked to residential school trauma and abuse. This has created a multi-generational cycle of addiction that needs to stop now. We now know that addiction is often closely linked to childhood trauma. People are looking for an escape from their pain and turn to substances as a way to numb themselves. While sending addicts to a treatment centre in the South seems like a direct and forward approach to dealing with addictions, it is merely a band-aid solution if other pieces of recovery are missing.

There are several phases to a successful recovery. The first phase is counselling. When an addict receives counselling, they are accessing assistance to take the next step forward in their recovery. Counsellors help people to understand the steps required. Once people are finally ready to get help, there is a very short window of opportunity to get them into a detoxification program. An addict cannot enter a rehabilitation program in the South until they have sobered up. In order to board a plane, make the journey to a facility, whether it be in the North or the South, they need to take this crucial first step in their path.

In the NWT, there are significant delays at this critical step that often cause patients to withdraw their requests for help or to remove themselves from the treatment process. Once in a southern-based treatment facility, patients have access to resources to help with the struggle of addiction and often times are able to move forward in their progress. However, the journey doesn't end with treatment in a facility. Once a rehabilitated person has returned to their community, access to a lifetime of ongoing supports is also required. This is the piece that is missing in the Northwest Territories, the aftercare. Culturally appropriate after-care, such as on-the-land based programs, ongoing trauma counselling, sober living facilities, online and social media supports, and sober event programming will help to establish a healthy support network for all NWT residents battling addiction. I will have questions for the health Minister. Thank you.