The Government of Canada will be providing some assistance to the Northwest Territories in an effort to help residents quit smoking.
The announcement was made by Michael McLeod, the Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories, who spoke on behalf of Ya’ara Saks, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health.
McLeod shared the news that the Federal Government will be making an investment of $1.9 million towards the NWT’s Supporting Tobacco Cessation project, which is designed to provide aid to people who experience increased health risks due to smoking tobacco. This program will be rolled out not only to the Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife, but to various primary care clinics across the Territory.
The project will be established in a way that will connect across many different NWT care providers, as well as with health groups outside of the Territory to help develop training practices and gather resources.
The Honourable Ya’ara Saks spoke highly on this program, saying “We’re committed to working with public health partners and all orders of government to help Canadians quit using tobacco and nicotine and to protect the health of young people and nonsmokers. This tobacco cessation program offered by the government of the Northwest Territories increases the supports available to individuals across the territory to get the help they need and improve their health.”
This investment is also part of the Government of Canada’s broader plan to reduce smoking in Canada to less than five percent across the population by 2035.
