Alfred Moses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As many of us know, there is a shortage of foster parents and foster families in the Northwest Territories. When we have a challenge where a family needs help, and they’re travelling out of territory where services need to be provided, I find that very discouraging. We need to get more work and more programs to help these families out and look into it further.

I’d just like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services specifically what his strategy is to increase and recruit more foster families in the Northwest Territories.

Just to clarify, I’m not asking for what programs to train these parents to become foster parents. I’m asking what programs are in place to help the foster families whose homes are being affected by the youth that they’re taking in, whether it’s because they’re being overburdened, a lot of stress, and it’s affecting their home life and their work. I want to know what programs are in place right now in the Northwest Territories for these families to get help and build that foundation in the home.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Member’s statement earlier, I’d like to recognize the hardworking and dedicated staff for the sport, recreation and youth division within MACA. I’d like to recognize Shane Thompson; a fellow colleague, Donald Kuptana; Peter Daniels; and new staff within the division Colinda Blondin, who I am sure she is going to do a great job with the Youth Ambassador Program and youth and volunteer sector. Welcome to the Assembly. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just in terms of alcohol related crimes in the Northwest Territories and people who are suffering with addictions and treatments, I was wondering if the Minister knows what the percentage of crimes throughout the Northwest Territories are actually alcohol related. Does he have a percentage that he can let the House know of?

Speaking with the Minister of Health yesterday, and some of the answers that he gave us in terms of detox programs moving along the same lines, if anyone that gets incarcerated for a serious crime and does have to go to either a north corrections facility, are there any detox programs in place, medical services provided to the inmates that need that detox in our facilities currently?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today Members of the Legislative Assembly are wearing purple ribbons. These ribbons represent the remembrance of a very young, talented, gifted and special individual who was taken too soon from his family and friends, Paulousie Ittungna.

Purple was Paulou’s favourite colour. Sometimes our families, communities and territory lose special individuals far too soon and well before their time. This is just the case in the passing of Paulou.

Paulou was an exceptional young man, who excelled in sports such as soccer and volleyball, but he was more than that. He was a brother, a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to commend the work by my colleagues who brought this motion forward. There is some good wording in there, but the wording also needs to be looked at in terms of supporting it. I commend the work done by the staff here that got the information for us as well.

In terms of consultation, we did receive some letters from various groups in the Northwest Territories, but we didn’t receive letters, or letters of concern from everybody. We don’t know what’s on everybody’s mind, and to bring a motion forward today without getting everybody’s input and support...

When an inmate is about to get released, in terms of getting educated on possibly some of the issues and concerns that might have gotten them into the institution, what type of education programs do the corrections facilities offer to get inmates back, or what social skills programs does the department offer to get these inmates back into being a member of society and not going back out and becoming another repeat offender? What type of education programs are there in our facilities to get our inmates back as regular members of society?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regard to yesterday’s theme day when we were speaking about treatment programs throughout the Northwest Territories, I wanted to ask the Minister of Justice about some of the programs that they have in the corrections facilities.

Right off the bat, I’d like to ask the Minister of Justice what type of treatment programs specifically designated for addictions does the department provide in our correctional facilities currently.

I really enjoy when the Minister speaks about addictions and gives us his point of view on things. He said immediate risk. We’re not always dealing with people who have immediate risk and, actually, as we know, in mental health workers, we are short on that and there’s a big waiting list in that sense as well.

The coroner’s report specifies that 49 percent of alcohol-related deaths are suicides. So there is a great correlation here. Until they have to be in immediate risk, then will we help them? No. That doesn’t make sense.

What is the Minister doing to ensure that we do have the medical...