Lesa Semmler

Member Inuvik Twin Lakes

Minister of Health and Social Services

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

Committees

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
Email
Email
Minister of Health and Social Services

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 40)

Thank you. Yes, Mr. Norn.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 40)

Thank you. I will now open the floor to general comments on the Legislative Assembly. Seeing there are no further comments, does committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 40)

Thank you, Mr. Norn. Does committee agree?

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 40)

Thank you. Committee, please turn to page 56, services to the public, with information items on page 57. Any comments? Seeing none, Department of Justice, service to the public, infrastructure investments, $325,000. Does committee agree?

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 40)

All right. We will now call this committee back to order. The committee has agreed to begin with the review of the Legislative Assembly. Mr. Speaker, do you wish to bring in any witnesses?

Question 377-19(2): Internships in Health and Social Services
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 40)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the things that I know is that there are some other programs that are for GNWT employees to access training dollars, but I don't know if this is widely known of the hiring managers and the staff. Will the Minister commit to looking into all the funding pots that we can so that we can train current staff, so that we can possibly train them, if they choose to, to go out to health centres, into specialty areas like obstetrics, emergency? These are the areas that we keep struggling with, and these are the ones that we keep bringing in people from outside the...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 40)

Committee, we will defer the department totals and review the estimates by activity summary, beginning at page 51. Corrections, with information items on page 52. General comments? Seeing none, Department of Justice, corrections, infrastructure investments, $1,081,000. Does committee agree?

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 39)

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 181-19(2), Capital Estimates 2021-2022, and reports progress. I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 39)

Does committee agree?

Question 365-19(2): Access to Treatment Programs
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I look forward to seeing that in my community. Will the GNWT also commit to changing the way mental health and addiction service is done? I know we have the mental health and addiction counselors within the GNWT. The way that they work within the system with each region will be different, and I understand that. What would a culturally respectful community drug and alcohol program look like, including elders and traditional spaces, with the counselors that we have currently within the GNWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.