Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to take this opportunity to thank the Standing Committee on Social Programs for their thorough review and debate on this bill. I believe, as many of them have said, that this is an incredibly important bill. I really appreciate being here to help bring this bill across the finish line. I really appreciate the Members and support from all the Members. Thank you so much. We’re moving forward. There were a number of recommendations put out to us in the committee report and we will be responding to committee on all of those. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. With me today on my right is Lisa Cardinal, director responsible for health and social services professional licensing; and on my left is Thomas Druyan, legislative counsel. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to be here to discuss Bill 36, Health and Social Services Professions Act. The Health and Social Services Professions Act is a result of five years of work by the department and reflects significant feedback from professionals as well as the public. This act will provide the foundation for future regulation of health and social services professions in the Northwest Territories.

If passed, this legislation will enable the Government of the Northwest Territories to regulate numerous professions under one legislative framework. This includes modernizing existing...

Not at this time.

I do, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do.

The Member keeps talking about the health care system, but I do need to remind the Member that the Conference Board of Canada’s report, How Canada Performs, is a snapshot at a point in time intended to provide governments with recommendations on how they can improve their systems by providing a snapshot. Health outcomes, once again, are measured using 10 indicators that recognize or evaluate health outcomes, not the health care system. We have to deal with the root causes and here in the Northwest Territories, and today I have clearly articulated that many, many actions and activities that we...

As I’ve indicated previously, there are large disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people across Canada. The reported health outcomes in the report are partially due to the proportionately larger Aboriginal population that we have in the Northwest Territories. The health outcomes are measured using assessment tools for health outcomes, not health care systems. Mr. Speaker, we are not challenging these results, but we are taking them in the intended from which they were provided. They were to provide us with an opportunity and tools to help improve our system. We are addressing the...

We already work with the other two territories on a number of initiatives. I had a conversation with the two Ministers last week and we’ve agreed to get together and have a tri-territorial meeting later this spring to discuss other areas where we can work together to improve the wellness and health outcomes of residents of the Northwest Territories.

Once again, to be clear, health outcomes are measured using 10 indicators that evaluate health outcomes, not health care systems. We are making improvements to the provision of health and social services here in the Northwest Territories. We’re moving forward with the health transformation with a focus on all residents of the Northwest Territories.

I just want to point out that the report from the Conference Board of Canada provided several recommendations for the NWT to improve health outcomes such as using a tailored approach including Aboriginal traditional knowledge and health policy...