Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. We’ll go to Premier McLeod.

Do you have any witnesses you’d like to bring into the Chamber?

Now we’re getting into some of the details, which is good. We’ve been waiting for this for a while.

My interpretation of the plan is my interpretation. I’m assuming anyone on this side of the House who read the plan, as well, would have their own views. We know the department has their own views and I think the public might have their own views. So would the Minister like to enlighten us and maybe table this plan for everyone to see, because, quite frankly, Nats’ejee K’eh is closed, so what harm would that do?

Thank you. Does committee agree we have concluded consideration of the Department of Finance?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to continue my questions from yesterday with the Minister of Health and Social Services on addictions and, more importantly, the closing of the Nats’ejee K’eh Residential Treatment Centre.

It’s clear that this Assembly and the people at large have a Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan for 2012-2015, which we were told were the guiding principles, or I guess the compass points, if you will. We waited meticulously for many months for the Minister’s Forum on Addictions. That’s on one side of the equation.

All the while, what’s happened on the other side of the...

Committee, if I can get you to turn page 3-6. Finance, activity summary, office of the chief information officer, infrastructure investment summary, information technology projects, $450,000. Does committee agree?

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 107-17(4), NWT Capital Estimates 2014-2015, and would like to report progress. I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. I concur there was no medical detox occurring at Nats’ejee K’eh, but the question of medical detox has been asked many times in this House. We’ve been promised here that there will be beds put aside we’ve heard in Yellowknife, we’ve also heard in Inuvik. But you go to the hospital and you ask the question, can you take me to the medical detox bed, and they’ll say we don’t know what you’re talking about. There is no sign on the door that says “medical detox bed”. There are such beds put aside in the event of capacity issues, yet are never used.

So, leading to another question here...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement earlier today on addictions and the closing of the Nats’ejee K’eh. This is the first opportunity I think the public has had to hear some of the rationale behind the Minister and the department as to the closing of this addictions facility, and really what is the plan of action for addiction treatment to follow in the Northwest Territories. We all know the issues. I’m not going to go into a long preamble because I do have a long list of questions, which probably will require a couple of times of going up to the table here.

So...

The verdict is out. The people want answers. The people deserve answers to these addiction questions. In the spirit of transparency, I will be asking the Minister of Health, the man with the plan, to please enlighten us with his vision later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.