Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Follow-up to my Member's statement, can the Minister provide an update on the current status of the NWT alcohol strategy, including which actions have begun, which are underway, and whether any delays have emerged since the strategy was released in 2023. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from the Dehcho. Minister of Health and Social Services, I think you got an hour of questions there, but we'll -- you've got a --
Mr. Speaker, work on the actions identified in the strategy is underway and is being overseen by the interdepartmental committee on problematic substance use, and a monitoring and evaluation plan has been developed, and progress is being tracked. So the interdepartmental committee is basically a whole of government so there's many moving pieces within all of our areas.
Key accomplishments under the strategy include secure bilateral funding through shared health priority agreement, that's the federal agreement, and established a territorial substance use medicine team, including implementation of medical detox services in the territory, policy development and training within health and social services system for all health professionals on facility-based addictions treatment, development of an interdepartmental communication plan to collaborate on alcohol-related messaging, and Inclusion NWT was supported to fund Yellowknife bars and restaurants to offer free mocktails during Dry February. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Given that residents and stakeholders have not seen any public progress report since the strategy was launched, will the Minister commit to releasing a public update on implementation, including key milestones, challenges, and early outcomes, and does the department recognize alcoholism as a disability? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a formal monitoring and evaluation plan does exist and is being -- progress is being tracked by the mental wellness and addiction recovery division in health and social services. The problematic substance use committee will be reconvening this month to take a fresh look at the strategy and its actions and identify priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, and at that point, I can brief the committee on what comes of that meeting. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from the Dehcho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With just two years remaining before March 31st, 2028 completion target, what concrete steps is the department taking to ensure that the remaining work is achievable, adequately resourced, and aligned with what communities say they need most to address alcohol misuse? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, the interdepartmental committee on problematic substance use continues to coordinate efforts across multiple departments to ensure a whole of government is aligned on this work and that a monitoring and evaluation plan is already in place to guide the progress and ensure accountability between now and 2028. And as I mentioned, the things that health and social services is doing -- as I mentioned, this is across government so I can't really speak to what education is doing with, you know -- and I know, like, there's some stuff within finance with alcohol -- like, with the sale of liquor and -- you know, and those types of things. But every part of the government that sits on this polysubstance committee has a role to play in this alcohol strategy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.
