Mr. Speaker, today marks 30 years since an impaired driver collided with my husband's family. His brother Michael was seriously injured and medevaced to Edmonton. That's 30 years since doctors prepared my in-laws for the worst: first, that Michael would not make it through the night; then the week; and then, that he would never walk or talk again. This community rallied behind their family for an entire year while Michael recovered in the Edmonton Children's Hospital. He made it through the night, the week, defied the odds, and started over at five years, one month, and 28 days old. The North wrapped itself around my in-laws as it does to support victims and survivors. That day, Michael, having never touched drugs or alcohol, was the victim of addiction.
There are two other victims in this tragedy. The vehicle that hit their family had both a passenger and a driver. They, too, are victims of addiction and trauma, but they did not receive the same wraparound care required to heal. Faceless victims struggle every day through mental health and addiction in our vast territory with limited community, regional, or capital-based support services. If NWT mental health and addiction rates match the number of breast cancer patients, we would call this an emergency. If the NWT COVID deaths matched the people we lose to mental health and addiction annually, we would call this an emergency. An emergency is defined as unexpected, and we are not in an unexpected place. We are at a time of intense difficulty, Mr. Speaker, and that is called a crisis.
Michael's journey led to change. He inspired the NWT's Students Against Drinking and Driving chapter. Students rallied to create awareness, and Michael's peers were change-makers who lobbied this GNWT for impaired driving legislative changes. The fight against impaired driving doesn't rest on planning a drive home, and the ring is not solely the driver's seat. The fight against impaired driving is equally routed in how we proactively heal our territory.
Michael was a victim with an entire community supporting his recovery, but victims of mental health and addiction who fall into the faceless cycles that weave through our territory need clear paths to gain sobriety and then stay sober with the same wraparound care we afford to those with physical injuries. Some fight a silent battle while others fight a violent battle, and sadly, some lose this battle. If we are not outraged, Mr. Speaker, we are not paying attention.