N.B. opposition pitches all-party cabinet committee for addictions and mental health

New Brunswick’s opposition says Liberals should consider forming an all-party committee for mental health and addictions.

New Brunswick’s official opposition has pitched an all-party committee to look at addictions and mental health services in the province, similar to the legislature’s response to COVID-19.

Interim Progressive Conservative leader Glen Savoie said addictions and mental health issues are “a crisis” and should be addressed with a similar approach as the pandemic.

“Something to try and show New Brunswickers that we are taking this seriously as a legislature, as all elected officials, so we can get to the root problem and try and fix this for everyone,” said Savoie in the legislature on Thursday.

“I think anybody out there in the province would recognize that the problem is getting worse.”

Minister responsible for addictions and mental health services Rob McKee said the government is focused on its own initiatives, mentioning the recent announcement of a 50-bed recovery facility opening on the Kingston Peninsula next year.

McKee says the provincial government also recently developed a mental health court in Moncton, and a child and youth psychiatry unit in Saint John.

“As a result of, I guess, inaction by the former government we’ve seen the crisis worsen over the years,” said McKee in the legislature. “But our government is taking this head-on.”

Savoie also asked if the government would consider an independent royal commission, along with a forensic audit of addictions and mental health services in the province, that would report back to the legislature next year.

“We don’t sit between December and March,” said Savoie. “There’s time we could do this, and we could have a report out by June.”

“A royal commission is independent, so that would allow for those people to do that work and report back to the legislature. Having the auditor general do a forensic audit of all our programs and understand where the gaps are, and how we can be better, is a way that could come back to us, and we could improve.”

McKee dismissed the opposition’s suggestions for any reviews.

“We are a year into our mandate,” said McKee. “We have a very aggressive plan to deal with addictions and mental health services. We aren’t going to call a royal commission a year into our mandate when we have several initiatives and programs that we’re bringing forward that are going to move the needle on addiction and mental health services.”

According to the provincial government, between 140 and 200 people are on a six-to-eight month wait list for addiction treatment.

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