Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't really have anything to add to what my colleague has already expressed, which I think she did a very good job on capturing how the discussion went through the committee and noting, in particular, the concerns of Indigenous governments and organizations around their expenses and their costs. And while I do wish we could expand the scope of the bill to include all the social and indirect costs that we are paying as a territory, it's unfortunate that that is not something we can go after these opioid companies or these pharmaceutical companies for. However, I do also agree that there is a way within this to ensure that we could recover their costs through just the legislation as it is, and I do also want to stress that I hope the government thinks really creatively here, when they are rolling up all the costs and taking this forward, that they do work with the Indigenous governments to include theirs. It's been my sort of experience now in this role that, you know, obviously governments put forward bills, legislation, policies, etcetera, and it's only by the testing of that or someone else looking at that that a new idea or something that's been unthought of comes forward. And so I think while maybe it's not totally in the scope here, perhaps just trying to get it in there might spur someone at a higher level, and I'm not a lawyer and I'm looking at lawyers in the room and I'm sure they probably think this might be tough but, you know, maybe it'll spark something at a higher level where they will acknowledge what the price is to Indigenous governments. And I think a really tangible example of this is with the loss of the Poundmaker's contract from the Department of Health and Social Services, I am aware of instances now where Indigenous governments and organizations are footing the bill themselves to send their members to treatment, which is great. Any way that anybody can get into treatment, I'm all for, but that's where, again, like my colleague said, worry that that cost, because they are filling the gap for our government, won't be then recouped. So just want to say the same things. I do think we need to work with that. I really want us to ensure that we are fulsomely evaluating these costs and that I hope that committee would have an opportunity to continue to weigh in on this as it moves forward. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Katrina Nokleby on Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
In the Legislative Assembly on June 1st, 2023. See this statement in context.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 1st, 2023
Page 6315
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