Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.
If we missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to your chambers. I'd like to thank you for much for allowing the 19 of us to represent the people of the Northwest Territories. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It is always nice to see people from the gallery.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Mr. Speaker, just following from my statement, has the Minister considered developing a priority list for actioning outstanding environmental audit recommendations? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of ECC.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this time there's no essential prioritization of the items from the audit. Many of the items identified in the audit, as well as the outstanding items from 2020, are quite crosscutting and involve a number of partners that really don't all have the ability to participate at the same level. So as a department, we are certainly committed to the recommendations. And within the audit report in tab D I believe, it does lay out our commitments to those recommendations as well as lays out specific timelines and whether we are fully committed and fully agree with the recommendations of the audit or if we are in partial agreement and, again, what those timelines and commitments look like. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, I appreciate that response. However, I think that there's probably some areas where GNWT does have full control over. Even if areas don't have full control, setting them as a priority and saying that we want to get this one done quickly helps us communicate with our various partners as to why we're moving on something quickly. So I would just push back to the Minister. I think it may be helpful to establish a priority list, and it will help us move these things from things that we're working on to things that we have done. So can I just ask the Minister to maybe consider sitting down with the relevant Ministers to establish a priority list based on our needs. Thank you.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, I appreciate the position of the Member, and I think it's a really good point to raise. Many of the recommendations, you know, the work that's done on a lot of these are ongoing over long periods of time and have other contributing factors that sort of, you know, impact our ability to sometimes complete within the window of the audit, so within that five-year window, and they may be continually ongoing through time. Certainly, I see a lot of value in, you know, as you say what we have total control over as the GNWT, you know, in providing a little bit more focus. And I will certainly have that conversation with the staff at ECC. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of ECC. Final supplementary. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate that commitment from the Minister, and I think that this is certainly something we could discuss at committee as well. And I don't think I have a follow-up question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, sorry.
Members, please make sure you have questions, not commentary. Thank you.
Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in order to keep the emergency room doors from closing, a shift bidding process was brought forward by the health authority, which was very successful, and we were able to recruit the locum doctors we needed to prevent that from happening. At the time, it was said this process would be retired but it would inform future decisions. Can the Minister relay to the House how this successful strategy will change staffing retention and recruitment in the future for NTHSSA? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the health authority, alongside with the physicians, came up with a solution to deal with the vacancies that were in the summer. Right now we're continuing on to -- I think look forward to the intraspace bargaining with the physicians as part of ways to work with our recruitment. I know that at this time we are looking at possibly this -- you know, to utilize this in times when we see areas of high needs. And so that is -- since the successful over the summer, we will look at it possibly if that situation comes up for -- or if we start to notice that we're seeing more vacancies for our Christmas and next summer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, that seems to be a change in plan. So I must be mistaken in that this was going to be abandoned and they were going to move to a more sustainable model of staffing. So what is the plan for -- not for doctors but for nurses and the allied medical professionals who work in the ERs? Because they need to be compensated as well. They're working very hard, and they're as frustrated with their working conditions as any doctor. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the physicians are contracted to the NTHSSA through their own bargaining process, the nurses and other allied health professionals, they do their bargaining through the collective agreement currently. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. So it sounds like the Minister is saying that because of that collective agreement, we can't offer any kind of labour market supplement or wage -- or shift premium or something like that. What options does the Minister have available to her that she could work with the union to bring this forward? It must be possible because we've been having these discussions about health care. We saw what happened during COVID. We have a Private Member's bill that we've been debating as well. Clearly, this is an issue that needs to get fixed. We need to compensate nurses. When's the Minister going to do it? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we just agreed on a new collective agreement which increased more than nurses -- it increased all the nurses -- sorry, labour market supplement. It increased social workers. It added other health care providers in this collective agreement. So we have done that. Finance and the NTHSSA, through bargaining, did increase all those labour market supplements. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be directed to the Minister of ECC with respect to encampments. There was a press release -- I'll get everyone to go to the Wiki page to find out who he is. He doesn't get a lot of questions here. So I want to see him rise here; I know he'll do a good job.
Good point, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was a press release on May 25th of this year, talked about encampments, basically there they are, talked about inspections. I want to know what ECC is doing about inspecting these encampments to make sure they comply as the rules, such as the safety, proper use of public lands, complying with fire and waste safe guidelines. That falls under his purview and stewardship. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of ECC.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of ECC does have officers that will do paroles to ensure that when requested that if there's a site that specifically has a potential issue and they're asked to do an inspection, they will gladly go and do that inspection. If there are issues that seem to be evident at the site, they will attempt to work with the folks that are there and resolve those and, if required, there are other legal avenues that could be pursued to come to a resolution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with respect to inspections, it sounds like they don't happen, or they may happen sparsely. We've now had two encampment problems that had serious fires, and recently, as I pointed out, even today I saw piles of propane tanks. What does it take to have daily inspections from this department to ensure that they're safe on public lands, to make sure that they meet the guidelines highlighted in the press release on May 25th? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, so the encampments within the boundaries of the city are also partially a responsibility of the city, and there are certain bylaws that happen within the city that are relevant to the city that would need to also be adhered to. Environment and Climate Change officers look specifically to the areas in which are under our purview. And certainly these periodic inspections are just that, they're periodic, and it's not the intent of the department to be doing daily inspections to a point where it's harassment type of activity. So, you know, we engage when required and try and ensure that, you know, we're doing that in a respectful manner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of ECC. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe I've sent this Minister directly concerns under his justice portfolio hat of the encampment downtown and causing concerns. There's even pictures out there of piles of jerry cans sitting there. Mr. Speaker, what does it take for this Minister to get over there and inspect these encampments? If we're going to allow them to happen, to ensure that they're safe so that no one dies in this situation. Because that's the last thing we want, and it'll be such an impossible situation to take back. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the direct inspections and addressing of these things are done by the officers on the ground who have a mandate to do such work. As Minister of Justice, it's not my mandate. I certainly do have regular conversations with the folks at justice, you know, to ensure that we are considering these, but, once again, those things fall directly under the specific agency or department that have the mandate to enforce that, and I do not directly involve myself with the enforcement part of that work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of ECC. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this summer the Minister committed to reviewing the Yukon government's model for gender-affirming care navigation services and exploring options for similar system navigation supports for trans and gender diverse clients here in the NWT. Can the Minister provide me with an update on that work or an estimated time of completion? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, yes, this summer I did have the opportunity to sit down and meet with the Northern Mosaic Network. The work to explore gender-affirming care navigation support is underway, and it's being approached collaboratively with the Northern Mosaic Network. This work involves multiple areas, including policy, clinical operations, patient services, and financial planning. The Northern Mosaic Network is interested in working with us on this initiative, and they are in the process of setting up a multi-sectoral working group that will include government and health representatives. Initial discussions have taken place and information being shared to help support the group's development.
Before moving forward, we need to look at what we already know, learn from other jurisdictions, assess our current services and future goals. This will help us to ensure any supports we develop are effective and sustainable. And we are committed to continuing this partnership. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for continuing that good work.
Mr. Speaker, in 2022, the Yukon government worked through regulatory changes to their health care insurance plan act that allowed them to provide expanded care to private clinics for gender Yukoners -- Yukonits? Can the Minister tell me if her staff, or the health sustainability unit staff, are able to provide insights and an analysis as to whether gender affirming services that are in line with the Yukon's services could be considered core and/or insured services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, we are aware of the changes that have been done in Yukon, and Yukon's approach is unique and reflects its own priorities but it's helpful for us to look at. At this time, I'm not aware that the health sustainability unit is actively reviewing the Yukon model, but it's something that we can, you know, explore in the future. I know that they are reviewing the out of territory services, so we'll certainly look at what other jurisdictions are doing, including Yukon, to see what lessons we can learn from them, and this will be done in partnership with the Northern Mosaic Network. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, as the Minister has mentioned, she sat down with the Northern Mosaic Network this past July, and at that time they requested that the Minister and the GNWT provide formal recognition that trans health is a priority and visible action to back that up at all levels from policy to frontline care. Would the Minister care to comment on this request at this time?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ensuring access to quality, equitable care is one of my highest priorities. We know that the system still faces challenges in delivering that care, and improving access remains a key focus for myself, as Minister, including for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people. We're taking meaningful steps to strengthen our system and eliminate barriers residents face while trying to access the care that they need, and we are committed to working in partnership with the Northern Mosaic Network group to ensure that this is done thoughtfully and inclusively. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions today for the Minister of Finance. As the government has committed to bring forward legislation by fall of 2026 regarding phase 2 changes to the Public Service Act, specifically addressing section 41 and the right to freedom of association, can the Minister tell us what kind of public engagement on this initiative is planned for the coming winter? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the very first step which is happening as early as next week, is to engage in bargaining -- with bargaining partners which is to say the unions so that they are fully aware and involved in the path that we may choose. As I am noting, that starts next week with the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Union of Northern Workers and then the teachers' association thereafter. And, Mr. Speaker, we'd be scoping out some opportunity for public engagement thereafter but still noting that there was a commitment here to have a legislative proposal ready to roll for the Assembly early in the winter. So that will have to all happen fairly quickly. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So will the government only be reaching out to identified stakeholder organizations to meet privately, or will there be a wider call for public input or perhaps public meetings to be held? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is going to be the Have Your Say website that is available, and folks are hopefully familiar with that tool. It is used across the GNWT. That will be coming out this calendar year. So certainly will send that to my colleagues and hopefully get the word out to the public that that's happening and certainly would want to encourage anyone who's interested. Traditionally, Mr. Speaker, this would be a piece of legislation that because it focuses on the public service and is a tool related to the public service wouldn't have necessarily gone through as extensive of a public engagement. We, of course, have the benefit of having gone through some public engagement related to that but would encourage anyone that would still like to participate in this particular process to be looking for it this year. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So given that there's already been substantial public input on this topic received by the Standing Committee on Government Operations as part of its review of Bill 26, in order to avoid asking people to engage over and over again on the same topic and risk consultation fatigue, will the Minister ensure that staff review the complete public record from the review of Bill 26 to include those materials as they develop the legislation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
