Lesa Semmler

Member Inuvik Twin Lakes

Minister of Health and Social Services
Minister Responsible for the Status of Women 

Lesa Semmler currently serves as the Member representing Inuvik Twin Lakes in the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, having been re-elected to the position. Born in Yellowknife, NT, and raised in Inuvik, where she still resides, Ms. Semmler has deep roots in the Northwest Territories. 

A Registered Nurse, Ms. Semmler graduated from the Aurora College Northern Nursing Program in 2000 and earned her Community Health Nurse Certification from the Canadian Nurses Association in 2008. With 15 years of frontline nursing experience at the Inuvik Regional Hospital, she focused on Acute Care, Homecare, and Public Health. Her career also included roles as the Manager of Acute Care Services and eventually the Regional Manager of Acute Care Services under the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority. Notably, she served as the Inuvialuit Health System Navigator at the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, assisting Inuvialuit Beneficiaries in navigating the healthcare system. 

Beyond her healthcare career, Ms. Semmler has actively contributed to education and community service. She served on the Inuvik District Education Authority, assuming the role of Chair from 2015 to 2018, and chaired the Beaufort Delta Education Council. Ms. Semmler participated in various working groups at the territorial and national levels, including the Inuit Tuberculosis Elimination Board and the Inuit Midwifery Revitalization. Her commitment to social justice is evident in her voluntary work as a member of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Family Advisory Circle, where she worked to ensure northern voices were heard and represented. Lesa Semmler's life and career reflect her passion for healthcare, education, and advocating for the well-being of her community.

Inuvik Twin Lakes Electoral District

Lesa Semmler
Inuvik Twin Lakes
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Phone
(867) 767-9143
Constituency Office

125 Mackenzie Rd
Unit 203
Inuvik NT X0E 0T0
Canada

P.O. Box
3130
Constituency Phone
867-678-2429
Minister's Office
Email
Email

Statements in Debates

Member's Statement on Health Care Service
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

Thank you. I am not painting everyone with the same brush. I know that not all staff are like this, but I am bringing this to this floor so that everyone out there can hear. People need to be responsible for their actions, and we need to hold them to account for that, even as co-workers. People, if you witness this happening in your workplace, this needs to be addressed. If it's happening to our residents, our residents need to feel safe to report it. The only way things will change is if we make the change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Minister's Statement 77-19(2), National Housing Co-Investment Fund; Tabled Document 165-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 1-19(2), Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery, Recommendations to the GNWT; Tabled Document 166-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 2-19(2), Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery, Recommendations to the GNWT; Tabled Document 167-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 3-19(2), Report on Long-Term...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

I call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Norn.

Question 498-19(2): Culturally Sensitive Healthcare Services
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

I hear the Minister, and I hear what she says. We do have great staff, but not necessarily are these staff trained to be able to understand a lot of the systems. This government assisted Aurora College to create a nursing program 20-plus years ago. We've had 20-plus years of graduates of nursing. The goal of that program was to have Indigenous nurses working in their own communities for their own people. It's still not happening.

I would like to ask the Minister again if we can have patient advocates and have them be nurses in these hospitals. If we can't have nurses in these hospitals, then...

Question 498-19(2): Culturally Sensitive Healthcare Services
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have all heard of Brian Sinclair, Joyce Echaquan, and our own Hugh Pakik. These situations were caused by someone's opinion. Who advocates before it gets this serious? My question for the Minister of Health and Social Services is: What option does someone have immediately if they feel they are not getting the help they need or feel that they have been treated unfairly or with discrimination in the Health and Social Services Department, which includes the hospitals, clinics, health centres, and social services offices?

Member's Statement on Health Care Service
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the morning of January 18, 2021, I read a CBC article with a video of a man crawling out of a southern emergency department and a nurse walking beside him, and it stated that she was saying, "You're a big boy. You're strong. Come on, big boy. Stand up." Only to find out later that he had Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which was affecting him to walk. Mr. Pontone also a history of bipolar, so he felt that's why his concerns were dismissed.

It made me think of Hugh Pakik, an Aklavik elder who died of a stroke after being mistaken for being drunk. In the CBC article that I...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 52)

All right. There is a motion on the floor to rise and report progress. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 51)

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Minister's Statement 77-19(2), National Housing Co-Investment Fund; Tabled Document 165-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 1-19(2), Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery, Recommendations to the GNWT; Tabled Document 166-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 2-19(2), Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery, Recommendations to the GNWT; Tabled Document 167-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 3-19(2), Report on Long-Term...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 51)

I will call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Norn.

Question 488-19(2): COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 51)

I understand the last requirement of moving from phase 2 is a second surge of infection in Canada and the United States has come and gone, with new cases falling over time and the epidemiological curve has demonstrably flattened. This has not been met. With our border controls in place and a 14-day mandatory isolation in place, will the Minister be looking into moving into phase 3 once we have completed implementing our vaccine plan and our most vulnerable population has been vaccinated?