Glen Abernethy

I, like Members in this House, have heard time and time again that the NWT health and social services system is not safe for Indigenous residents, nor does it account for Indigenous culture or healing needs. That is why, for the past 16 months, staff at the department have worked with Indigenous Northerners to hear their experiences, concerns, and aspirations for the NWT health and social services system. This included meeting with regional wellness councils, including the Beaufort-Delta, where council members had the opportunity to voice their community concerns about the health and wellbeing...

Significant new funding has been available to homecare beginning in 2017-2018. $2.5 million annually was included as an investment within the Government of the Northwest Territories. We also have $7.4 million for homecare over a 10-year period that we got from the federal government. This new funding is helping health and social services system enhance home and community care programs and services for clients across the Northwest Territories. Some of the ways that we have been able to do that is the establishment of 14 new homecare positions, as well as training for them, equipment, supplies...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. With me today are Christina Brownlee, who is legislative counsel, and Gary Toft, the director of policy, legislation, and communications with Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to introduce Bill 32, the Naturopathic Profession Statutes Amendment Act. The Legislative Assembly passed the Health and Social Services Profession Act to enable the Government of the Northwest Territories to regulate numerous different professions under one legislative framework and later amended the legislation to strengthen competency requirements for professionals.

Work has been under way to draft professional regulations to bring the Health and Social Services Profession Act into force. This includes regulations for three groups of professionals; the...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, I will move that Bill 40, Smoking Control and Reduction Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I don't see this as being a bus ride. That is not the intent. That's not what the Members and I discussed when we met late last year. What we're talking about is having an opportunity to provide a client-centred approach that really builds upon the existing organizational strength and moves us away from more of an institutional model. There was a lot of discussion about not having a model which is a place to plunk somebody, take somebody, and get support just there, but to find ways to get them engaged in community. Find them a way to be supported. It doesn't necessarily absolutely mean that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On February 21st, that meeting did take place. From this meeting, it is clear that there is a shared interest between parties to work together to build a model of care that really meets the inclusion and care needs of seniors in Yellowknife, while also filling some of the service gaps by building on the capacity that already exist within the city. There is a lot of capacity within the city. I am pleased that the meeting resulted in the formation of a steering committee to support the development of a concrete program development plan. This plan will see the authority...

These were conversations that occurred both in the 16th and the 17th Legislative Assemblies. At that time, we did not move forward with the child's advocate. Neither the committee recommended nor the government of the day moved forward with it. The child's advocate is not a children's lawyer, as I have already indicated, but they are more comparable to an ombud with a focus or a specialization in children and youth.

If this Assembly were interested in pursuing that, it would require legislative changes or legislative drafting. It would require budgeting. It would require a number of things. We...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the 16th Legislative Assembly I participated on a committee that did a review of the implementation and delivery of child and family services in the Northwest Territories. With the chair, who at the time was the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, we travelled throughout the Northwest Territories. We also travelled to many other jurisdictions and we talked to professionals about these services. One of the things that came up on a regular basis was the child advocate. We met with the child advocate in Alberta and we talked about the role of an advocate.

At that...

I am pleased to inform the Member that tomorrow I'll be tabling "Caring For Our People: Cultural Safety Action Plan 2018-2020." Tomorrow I will also be hosting a public launch here in the Assembly at 11:00 a.m., and I hope that all Members are able to attend.

Regarding the Member's concerns about cultural safety for Indigenous residents and elders, work is already under way. First, I'd like to highlight the 2018-2020 Inuinnaqtun pilot program at the Enegak Health and Social Services Centre in Ulukhaktok funded by the department. The pilot project will support the language needs of the...