Kevin O'Reilly

Merci, Monsieur le President. I rise today to make my fourth annual midwifery statement. The Northwest Territories Midwifery Program has one of the longest gestation periods in the history of this Assembly, but now there is some good news to report.

In response to my questioning during the Committee of the Whole review of the Department of Health and Social Services budget earlier in this sitting, there is now confirmation of new 2019-2020 funding of $373,000 for three positions. One of them is a full-time midwifery clinical specialist and a three-quarter-time midwife position, both in...

Merci, Monsieur le president. Today is the final step in a very long and time-consuming process that began in September 2018, the three-week review of the departmental business plans. Committee of the Whole reviewed the 2019-2020 Main Estimates for 12 government entities from February 20th to March the 8th. We have received replies from Ministers for, I think, three of the departments reviewed so far, so prizes go to the Minister of Infrastructure, the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. I look forward to receiving the...

I want to thank the Minister for that, and I would encourage him to share that framework with the standing committee. Families have been advocating for midwifery for years, mostly mothers such as Leslie Paulette, Wendy Lahey, and Joanna Tiemessen. How will the role of these public partners be continued as we roll out these services and evaluate their delivery?

Merci, Monsieur le President. In remarks in Committee of the Whole the other day, there used to be an additional $373,000 for midwifery in 2019-2020, bringing the total resources devoted to midwifery to $1.78 million. There used to be a staff complement of 8.5 full-time-equivalent people. Could the Minister of Health and Social Services summarize where these positions will be located and how services will be offered to other communities? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Minister for that explanation. Is the Minister prepared to make that information public?

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for confirming that for me. For a government that says it is open and transparent, consulting only the industry and perhaps Indigenous governments, only consulting industry, I don't think that is a great idea, and I think that is a clear definition of regulatory capture. Can the Minister make public the work requirements and rental rates for future significant discovery licences and the rationale that he used in setting them? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Well, it is my understanding that, when the federal government issued those original rights, they made provision for fees to be charged as a rental rate. Perhaps the rental rate wasn't specified, but at least it was in there, so why did the Minister not include any fees or work requirements in the 10 significant discovery licences that he issued?

Merci, Monsieur le President. I, too, would like to recognize my friend, Violet Camsell-Blondin, and I have had the pleasure of working with Violet for probably 30 years. She now serves as the chair of the Status of Women Council, and I thank her for her public service. I would like to recognize Frame Lake constituent Louise Elder and thank her for her work as executive director of the Status of Women Council. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the explanation. Just to be crystal clear here, there is no change in the funding that is provided to the Information and Privacy Commissioner or the Language Commissioner. There is no reduction in their ability to carry out the programs and services that they do, other than the fact that the resources are being reduced to provide for a shared support person in the office. Is that correct? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I might go and have a chat with some folks in the library as well, because they provide great service to us, and it would be great to have that sort of archival information available online for research purposes as well. I want to thank our witnesses. Thanks, Mr. Chair.