Julie Green

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not going to make that commitment. I'm going to assure the Member that I think we all have the best interests of these families in mind. It's very unfortunate that the staffing situation is such that Stanton is not going to be available for births between December the 10th and February the 21st, and I recognize the disruption that's going to cause. But I'm not going to task the obstetrics team with writing reports for us. That, I do not think is a good use of their time.

The ultimate answer to this is to try and improve our staffing levels in the obstetrics unit...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, medical travel benefits are available to these families who are being disrupted by the closure of the obstetrics unit at the same rates that are provided to everybody else who travels for medical travel. In the event that the family has access to employer benefits, noninsured health benefits, or extended health benefits, Metis health benefits, then they may be able to supplement those numbers. In the event that they are unable to supplement those numbers, they should certainly make the obstetrics team aware of that so that we can consider what else may...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is not possible for the Government of the Northwest Territories to provide a family violence shelter in each of the 33 communities of the NWT. We simply do not have the money; we do not have the staff. And it is, I recognize, an important need. I spent many years of my career working for the YWCA on family violence issues. And if we were going to invest money in anything, I'd like it invested in putting police into every community. There are a third of communities that do not have police resident in the community. We also have a third of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the question. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services funds five family violence shelters in the Northwest Territories. They're operated by nonprofit organizations in Tuk, Inuvik, Yellowknife, Hay River, and Fort Smith. There is a gap in service in three regions - Sahtu, Deh Cho, and Tlicho. To that end, the YWCA NWT obtained money from the federal government to do a safe house pilot project where they could establish safe houses in communities in those regions, one community in each of the three regions I've just mentioned.

I don't know...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to table the Child and Family Services Annual Report 2020-2021.Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, thank you. All of these answers are about medical travel providing benefits to people who need to seek services in Alberta and in other jurisdictions. In fact, people who go for chemotherapy might also be away for weeks at a time.

The medical travel program is not a program that provides dollar for dollar costs replacement for going south. There is a financial cost to the individuals involved unless they are low income and in which case there are other possibilities. I cannot make a commitment that every family will have the costs of their children with them paid for.

I think that the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to start today by thanking MLA Freda Martselos for being outspoken on this topic and raising the point of privilege that she has so eloquently raised. It's obvious, Mr. Speaker, that we all have a right to work without threats and intimidation, to not be bullied or to work with bullies. And that's not only true of ourselves; it's also true for our staff as well.

MLA for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh crossed this line by threatening me and my colleagues in October with his "I'm coming for you" statement so much so that I did consider going to the RCMP because...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following seven documents: Minister of Health and Social Services Response to Letters Received from Health Care Providers; Follow-Up Letter to Oral Question 723-19(2) Mental Health and Fatigue; Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 725-19(2) Medical Travel Advocate; Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 744-19(2) Aging in Place with Dignity; Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 763-19(2) Nursing Human Resources; and Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 764-19(2) Cancer Pre-Screening and Self-Isolation Exemptions Data. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, June is the month when we make a special point of acknowledging and celebrating seniors for their contributions to our families and communities. Seniors are valued members of NWT communities and they contribute by working, volunteering, and passing on knowledge and traditions through teachings, stories, and ceremonies. Seniors also sit on advisory councils and engage with governments and nongovernment organizations helping to develop strategy and policy. Seniors fulfill many vital roles within our society that enhances our quality of life. The NWT's...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, public health is about balancing the public health emergency and the risk to the public with the mitigation measures that reduce that risk. That is something that is an ongoing process. It's a judgment. It's based on science but ultimately the chief public health officer has to try to strike that balance. And I heard my colleague, the Minister of Justice, say that they were involved in looking at that as well. What I recognize from my inbox today, and most days recently, is that people are not satisfied with that balance any longer. They feel that the...