Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize the CEO of Avens, Mr. Stephen Jackson, who is also a constituent of the Great Slave riding. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table to following document entitled “The Northwest Territories Long-Term Care Program Review, Final Report, December 2015.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the expert advisory panel report that was done for the provinces and territories is already public. As far as the information we receive from different stakeholders, we are going to consolidate all that information as we move forward with putting in some interim measures that will come into effect on June 6. I will certainly be having a discussion with Members on what we have heard and where we are going prior to June 6. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The agreement that we have with the Gwich’in involves a number of different camps. Camps will incorporate cultural practices that support wellness and healing through traditional methods, medicine, and social interactions. It's my understanding that they are going to be delivering programs in all four seasons here in the Northwest Territories. As far as how one would apply, I don't have that information in front of me, but I'll certainly talk to the department, get the details, and share with the Member on how the Gwich’in are intending to advertise these camps and how they're encouraging...

As I indicated, I've had the opportunity as Minister to travel to all the communities in the Northwest Territories, and when I've been there one of the things that I hear the most about is medical travel and frustrations that exist around medical travel. The policy on escorts actually sets out that the requirement and criteria for an escort to travel with a medical travel client is known as a “non-medical escort,” and they may be approved if: the patient is under the age of 19; the patient is breastfeeding an infant and requires an escort to assist with the baby; the patient has a mental or...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Medical Travel Policy is designed to reduce financial impact on residents who are accessing insured health services. Those benefits are in place mostly to help address the geographical realities and needs that we have in the Northwest Territories for people who are accessing these insured services. There is a significant expenditure. The total budget for the medical travel program in 2015-2016 was $36.9 million, with projected expenditures actually over that, of $38.2 million. The total cost, we are able to recover some of those dollars from other...

If we are talking specifically about individuals that are coming back from a treatment program, whether it's in the South or whether it's one of the on-the-land programs, one of the requirements to participate or to utilize one of our treatment facilities in the south is that the individual actually has appointments set up with community counsellors when they return to the Northwest Territories. We have community counsellors in 19 of the 33 communities in the Northwest Territories, and where we don't have counsellors, we have access by phone or other sources. Everybody is required to have a...

Quality assurance and constant monitoring of our systems and the programs that are being delivered is critical, and to that end, I once again encourage the Member, and all Members, to encourage your staff to engage with the quality assurance staff in each of the authorities when they have a constituent who has an issue. This will allow them to do a review of the incident and try to determine what happened and what can be improved. Having said that, the department does occasionally conduct quality reviews and other audits of the regional authorities. I'm certainly happy to sit down and share...

Quality assurance is a critical component of the healthcare system to ensure that we have feedback to actually ensure that the system is meeting its needs. Every health and social services authority has a patient representative who can work to address these concerns quickly and efficiently at the regional level. Concerns can also be raised with the CEO, board chair, or public administrator in the case of the Deh Cho. The department also has as system navigator who can be contacted by phone or email and helps to resolve complaints and concerns. A formal written complaint can also be sent to the...

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to announce that the Government of the Northwest Territories has, for the fourth year in a row, been chosen as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2016. This recognition by the Globe and Mail and Mediacorp Canada Incorporated distinguishes organizations that strive to include women, Aboriginal peoples, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender peoples in the workplace. Receiving the award places the GNWT among an exclusive group of Canadian employers who have demonstrated a commitment to create a workplace...