Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was meeting with a constituent over the weekend and learned that their child is having trouble accessing gender affirming care. Can the Minister explain why the government continues to rely on Alberta Health Services to provide Northerners with gender affirming care when it's well known that many surgeons are unwilling to perform these procedures due to the current political climate in the province? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the support that we have from Alberta, we have physicians here in the Northwest Territories that do provide this care. It's kind of like MAID. We have some physicians that do provide MAID. We have some physicians that do provide transgender care; that's a safe care for them to access. And with their practitioner, they work with their practitioner on how they move through the system. Alberta currently -- there are no surgeries done in Alberta currently so bottom surgeries and things that are done, there's only one place in Canada that those are done, and those are done in Quebec. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, thank you. I mean, in this case it is a surgery for gender affirming care. It is top surgery. But given that Ontario has far more capacity to provide gender affirming surgeries, why can't our health system send NWT residents there, given the political climate in Alberta is compromising access to timely and appropriate care for those seeking gender affirming surgeries? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, and everyone is aware that, you know -- and I'm not going to speak for Alberta and their rules. And I know that their legislation does speak to puberty blockers before the age of 16 and surgeries before they're age 18. So when the Member speaks to top surgeries, yes, that's accurate. And also the conversation that I had in person with the Minister, and I am going to be going down to Alberta to meet with the -- you know, to schedule a meeting with the health Minister there. They have switched portfolios, so there is a new health Minister that will be responsible -- is to ensure that Northwest Territories residents, whether they're going down there, transgender youth, people, that are going down, any 2SLGBTQ going to access care in Alberta, that they are going -- for anything, because that is where our master agreement -- you know, where we get services from -- that they are going to be safe when they access any types of -- they're going to be respected for who they are. And this is an ongoing conversation that I will continue with the Minister of health in Alberta. However, I did also say on this floor of the House if -- you know, if there are services that we need to do differently, those are where we take master agreements and we start to look and those routes have been actually -- I've directed the staff to start to look at different routes that is not in Alberta. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. And I appreciate the Minister's advocacy. Good luck with that government, unfortunately, Mr. Speaker. So I mean, if -- instead of waiting to convince the political -- or waiting for one Minister from the Northwest Territories to make the political and climate in Alberta change, which is unlikely, no offence to the Minister, can we just enter into this agreement to get trans youth who need these surgeries, who need this gender affirming care, in other jurisdictions? We know Ontario has developed a bit of a specialty here. Can she reach out and make an agreement with Ontario so we can -- my constituent's child can get the care that they so desperately deserve? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned -- and I don't want to keep going but it -- you know, with youth under 18, if they are looking for top surgeries, that is the route that we are looking at right now, if that is an insured services that Canada does provide, we will find the routes to do that and the department has been directed to begin looking at that.
One thing I would like to say, though, is although, you know, there is direction from the government, it is the health care people that actually are on the floor of -- you know, when our residents do, it's the nurses. We have nurses that come here from Alberta. We have doctors that come here from Alberta. You know, they have to work within that system that they live there, but they are the ones that are caring and taking care of our patients and I know that, you know, they will respect and care. Those are the people that I would ensure that, you know, have patients as a health care provider, the patients are, you know, who we -- who we care of the most. So, again, I may not be able to change law in there but I know that I will continue to work and advocate for the Northwest Territories residents, youth, elders, all residents. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
