Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we need strong wellness supports in the Northwest Territories, specifically Indigenous and elder led counselling in the community counselling program. Mr. Speaker, our elders have knowledge, strength, and teaching that have sustained our communities through the trauma of colonizations, colonization and the loss of language and culture. Yet too often, elders are left out of discussions when the government is putting systems in place to support our people.
Mr. Speaker, many Indigenous people are struggling with intergenerational trauma and the ongoing impacts of residential schools. We need our elders and traditional knowledge. Counselling and mental health supports are good to have, but they do not meet all the cultural and spiritual needs of our communities.
Mr. Speaker, when we sit with elders and they speak their language, when we hear their traditional stories, we begin to reconnect with who we are. We find strength. People who are struggling to find hope and they find healing that is grounded in the land and our values. We need to recognize the importance of traditional knowledge systems, supporting language revitalization, and ensuring elders are able to provide counselling to those in need. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Members' statements.
