Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement again today will be regarding addictions and treatment options that need to happen here in the Northwest Territories. Yesterday I spoke at length in my Member’s statement, and as I said then and will say yet again, the Minister does like stats, so I need to remind him on a couple of them.

Eight-nine percent of people in our jails struggle with addictions, and from a hospital point of view, at least 350 people are hospitalized a year because of substance abuse. The problem with addictions is it preys on everybody in the context, it doesn’t require a specific...

The Minister and I have spoken at length regarding this issue that the Northwest Territories requires a detox centre. As I’ve spoken to him, and sometimes I think he even agrees, that Stanton itself, by virtue of its design, is not a detox centre for people who have addictions. That’s the type of focus I continue here, and relentlessly want to pursue and see the government take on that challenge. Nats’ejee K’eh, with all due respect, does not suit that type of need.

When will the department start planning for an appropriate treatment centre, as I’ve discussed here today? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to continue my Member’s statement with some questions on the issue of a territorial addictions treatment centre that is much needed in the Northwest Territories and as and I’ve talked to the Minister of Health and Social Services on a number of occasions. I’ve talked about although it would be nice to have one here in Yellowknife, the fact is if you’re behind this issue, which means you want to support this issue, a territorial treatment centre could happen in any region in the Northwest Territories. It doesn’t have to happen here. I mean, the criteria comes...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The need could not be greater than now for a territorial treatment centre here in the Northwest Territories. As we all know far too well, drugs and alcohol continue to have a profound impact on Northerners’ lives. It’s time for this government to get behind a detox centre, which will help the drug and alcohol problem that many people suffer from.

I’ve come to see the drug and alcohol problem kind of like an iceberg. You know, you can look far off and see the surface of the problem, but you never fully realize the size, the magnitude, what truly lies underneath the...

It’s no reason to give up, just because we don’t think we can solve the whole problem. I mean, that’s part of the reason why we’re here, to keep fighting this problem until we get it solved or we get the problem moved forward to a solution. One of the Sally Ann representatives talks about the types of addictions being treated here and he calls it, sort of, the stage two portion of the problem. We’re not focusing in on the root cause or the root solutions to the problem.

As many of us all know, due to research that I’ve done, the territorial addictions centre, the last one that closed down...

What’s stopping the Department of Health and Social Services from finally taking up action on this particular problem, getting their focus correctly on the issue and start planning for an addictions centre here in the Northwest Territories? It could be in any region, and the planning and execution of this plan could start in this government and be a hallmark by the end of this government. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleagues, I, too, would like to recognize Mr. Ed Jeske, a Yellowknife senior in the constituency of Yellowknife Centre, and at his side, as always, the true and vigilant, lovely Vivian Squires, and talented, of course. Finally, I’d also like to recognize a good friend. His name is Bill and he’s here with his wife. So that’s Bill and Helen McIntosh. They both hail from Belleville, Ontario. I’d like to welcome them to the Legislature. I believe they’re here visiting family. Thank you.

I would hope the Minister would be able to get that information to me so I can help with others. As I say, help with others. Many people wonder how to access the program. One of the issues that constantly come to me is what type of advertisement or promotion does the department do to indicate it’s open for business and is willing to help process applications on the Nominee Program? People need to know where to go and what to do. What does the Minister have to say about accessibility?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My next question will be to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment regarding the Nominee Program. Last night, as every night, of course, I was watching, with great interest, Northbeat. I watch it every weeknight, with Randy Henderson at 6:00. That promotion was free, by the way.

I really enjoyed the coverage on the Nominee Program in the Yukon Territory. It reminded me of how I supported the establishment of the program here in the Northwest Territories. I think it’s very important to acknowledge that the work was being done quite significantly to bring this...

As I mentioned in my Member’s statement, I mentioned that training is an important component of this. Training isn’t just for the prospector, it also works for the communities so that when people do show up on their doorstep and want to do mineral development, people are a little further educated along as to what this will do. The reason I raise this is it has to go hand in hand with the development of the Grubstake Program. Would the Minister be looking at the same time bringing a training component back into the program to ensure that prospectors have training as well as communities have...