Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a matter of fact, the Chief Public Health Officer has the authority to accept or deny applications for self-isolation. She has mandated, of course, that people isolate in the four hub communities, and there have been questions about exceptions so that people can go to their home community to isolate. I realize that that is the case in Fort Providence most recently. There is not a process that respects the privacy legislation, that allows the CPHO to contact the leadership and say: so and so wants to isolate; how do you feel about that? Rather, the advice that is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Member not leaving me out in the questions today. He was able to teach me a new word today, which is "zoonotics." Zoonotics is where viruses and other pathogens can be transmitted from animals or insects to humans, so rabies would be an example of a zoonotic. Public health has a role in monitoring and responding to those risks when they are present in the population, particularly in investigating human illness that may be a result of a jump from an animal to a person, so the focus here is on the person rather than the animal. Thank you.

I have no detailed information about how Nunavut created a plan to get the federal government to provide money for a healing centre in Nunavut. I certainly could find that out. I want to reiterate that it does not have to be up to the GNWT. Indigenous governments and Indigenous government organizations could band together to write a proposal for federal funding for a healing centre and to have some focus around what kind of services they want in that centre and where the centre will be located.

There will be a letter going to all of the patients awaiting surgery at Stanton this week so that they can have an update on what's happening there directly from Stanton. In the meantime, if they are having pain management issues, and I know that's very common with leg, hip surgeries, then they should continue to be in touch with their healthcare provider to have appropriate treatment for that and that also can be done virtually if people are housebound. We want to expand the capacity, obviously, and we need to tell people when this is going to be resolved. Unfortunately, there is no specific...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Member for Monfwi for his question. I think one of the first things to sort out is what is a healing centre and what is an addictions treatment centre. I'm not confident that they are the same thing. Not everybody who needs healing is an addict who needs to go through the process of detox and a 28-day program and the aftercare and so on. I think the discussion needs to be broader. What is it that we want this centre to do? The Truth and Reconciliation Commission sees it specifically as a healing centre and commits the federal money for that purpose. We...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for that question. This is such a difficult issue because people are in pain waiting for this sterilization equipment to go back up to full functioning. It's very difficult to say to them, "We don't know when it's going to be fixed." What I can tell you is what you already know from your statement, Member for Frame Lake. These are complex issues. There are a number of different factors. There is the water quality, water testing for mineralization. The instruments themselves, Stanton has had specialist repair people come up from the South to assist with trying...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to oral question asked by the Member for Monfwi on October 20, 2020, regarding residential addictions treatment.

It is a priority in the mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories to "increase the number and variety of culturally respectful, community-based mental health and addictions programs, including aftercare." I am committed to making this priority a reality.

The Member said that the previous Minister and the current deputy minister made a promise to look into creating a northern treatment center. I have reviewed Hansard for that day...

As I've said, Mr. Speaker, in my return to oral question, Nats'ejee K'eh worked at a 38-percent capacity in the last three years it was opened, and we've been able to double the number of people who get residential treatment for the same money over the last six years.

What we understand is: the hitch at Nats'ejee K'eh and other northern treatment centres is confidentiality. I think we all know that everybody knows everybody, and they don't necessarily want to restart their sober lives in the NWT. We find that having options provides for a more responsive time to get in rather than longer wait...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health and Social Services has a range of programs and services that will assist people in small communities with their mental health. The child and youth community counsellors program is available through the schools to people from the community. It's just a matter of calling and making an appointment, so that's right onsite. For people who don't want to meet in person, there are virtual care appointments that are available. Of course, that goes back to needing some technology and broadband availability to access that.

There are also apps for phones. I...

I am not sure of the relevance of that question. The answer is no, I didn't spend the weekend being briefed by the CPHO. That doesn't mean I wasn't briefed by other people, but I don't feel like that is something that I need to discuss in detail here.