Very quickly then, Mr. Chair, just as a short history bite, the NNADAP program back in the seventies was one of those moments in time where the federal government and first nations across this country said we need help. Cabinet actually went forward and they helped with the investment in an NNADAP program, which still exists.
However, with the evolution and the challenges over the years, with the changing face of addiction and mental health, this NNADAP program needed to be reviewed from time to time. We're dealing with pay equity. We need pay equity in the communities with respect to addictions workers.
As well, Mr. Chair, what has happened is that with the NNADAP program, there's a review called Honouring our Strengths. Basically there was no money under the former Conservative government for this review. It was get the review done, see what you can do at the community level. What was created was Honouring our Strengths.
One of the things that came out of that process was the first nation mental wellness continuum framework. What we're told, and we're hearing it right across our communities, is that this framework works.
Just as we've seen here days ago with the investment made by the provincial government, we need those immediate, on-the-ground investments. What we're asking for here is that the committee support 80 mental wellness teams, 80 community health teams on the ground today, at a cost of $500,000 per team. That's what can be done today.