In the Legislative Assembly on March 29th, 2023. See this topic in context.

Committee Motion 411-19(2): Committee Report 50-19(2), Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention - Youth and Family Addictions Support and Healing Centre, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 29th

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Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services establish a youth and family addictions support and healing centre in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 411-19(2): Committee Report 50-19(2), Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention - Youth and Family Addictions Support and Healing Centre, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 29th

Page 6041

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion. Member for Great Slave.

Committee Motion 411-19(2): Committee Report 50-19(2), Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention - Youth and Family Addictions Support and Healing Centre, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 29th

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Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Madam Chair. I mean, we've heard time and time again from this Minister and department why we can't have anything here in the territory and it just isn't going to work. Well, when I look at youth who can hardly even sometimes have the ability to move on out of the territory to go to school, who are children that are moving to a positive situation, I don't even understand how we remotely think we should be sending our children away when they are in their most vulnerable position. We pay more attention to the kids going away on SFA and give them more supports than we do with our youth that are struggling. To me this needs to be an Indigenous-led government -- or sorry, an Indigenous government-led community-led initiative, and it does not need to be clinical the way that the Department of Health and Social Services will try to make it, and it needs to stop being a money decision. We need to have people that are making decisions for patients and people in this territory that are doing so and making the best decision based on treatment options, not on what's the cheapest and how much it costs to send people places. So the only way that we're going to do that is by having a youth facility here and not have people have to go elsewhere or just send youth home and tell the parents that they have to cope with it. Again, all I can say about all of this is how shameful I find it. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 411-19(2): Committee Report 50-19(2), Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention - Youth and Family Addictions Support and Healing Centre, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 29th, 2023

Page 6041

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.

Committee Motion 411-19(2): Committee Report 50-19(2), Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention - Youth and Family Addictions Support and Healing Centre, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 29th

Page 6041

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I know that this is a very big topic that we have heard about throughout the life of this Assembly. I know that there were questions asked today by the Member for Yellowknife South on the floor of the House today and that in response to one of those questions we did hear that the Minister of Health and Social Services is working with Indigenous governments to find out what Indigenous governments would like to see. And so I really hope that within the response to this recommendation that we learn more about what is happening in those conversations, what timelines, if any, might be emerging from those conversations and that we can really get a fulsome idea of what conversations are happening in more detail. Thank you.

Committee Motion 411-19(2): Committee Report 50-19(2), Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention - Youth and Family Addictions Support and Healing Centre, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 29th

Page 6041

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. To the motion. Member for Hay River South.

Committee Motion 411-19(2): Committee Report 50-19(2), Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention - Youth and Family Addictions Support and Healing Centre, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 29th

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Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess I look at this motion and I guess, I think about the youth in Hay River and some of the issues, you know, that I've had to deal with as well. And, again, we are talking about a very vulnerable, you know, population. We're talking about, you know, Indigenous youth and others as well. We're talking poverty, poverty as well. But one thing we don't do is we don't seem to make this a priority. It has to be a priority. We're talking about life and death here. And for some reason, I don't know why, you know, we can't get it through our heads that it's so important. And you know, losing anyone else is just not something we should be looking at. And it always seems to come down to lack of funding. And this cannot be a deterrent. The lack of funding should never be a question or an excuse when we're dealing with youth in these situations. So I would hope that the government will really take a look at this and make sure that we have a process in place to keep youth safe, to make sure they get the help they need, and not use the lack of funding to be a deterrent. Thank you.

Committee Motion 411-19(2): Committee Report 50-19(2), Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention - Youth and Family Addictions Support and Healing Centre, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 29th

Page 6041

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. To the motion. Member for Nunakput.

Committee Motion 411-19(2): Committee Report 50-19(2), Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention - Youth and Family Addictions Support and Healing Centre, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 29th

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Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. No, I just want to urge our government, you know, I -- we do need support for our youth and our communities, and I've been standing on this side of the House and being able to try to get out for youth sport and stuff like that, different aspects for our youth to get out of our small communities. We need to help them. They're really -- after, like I said since COVID, this last two years out of COVID, we've been -- our youth are really struggling. I see it every day, because I live it in a small community. And I really -- the supports that we give, it's not enough. But -- and it's too much stress on our local community governments because they're having to take a lot of the weight. But I really urge our government to try to work with this side of the House to make a plan on a go forward for suicide prevention, a meaningful participation on both sides to make something be able to work for all of us and something to be proud of to support our youth in our small communities, which we need to do. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 411-19(2): Committee Report 50-19(2), Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention - Youth and Family Addictions Support and Healing Centre, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 29th

Page 6041

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

To the motion.

Committee Motion 411-19(2): Committee Report 50-19(2), Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention - Youth and Family Addictions Support and Healing Centre, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 29th

Page 6041

Some Hon. Members

Question.

Committee Motion 411-19(2): Committee Report 50-19(2), Strengthening Community Supports, Lifting Youth Voices: Recommendations on Suicide Prevention - Youth and Family Addictions Support and Healing Centre, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 29th

Page 6041

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Member for Kam Lake.