Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And so according to the BIP online, substantial levels means the contractor must show meaningful, not token, use of northern capacity; for example, through NWT registered subcontractors, local staff, and services delivered from the Northwest Territories. The goal is to maximize economic benefit for the Northwest Territories residents, support local jobs and skills, and recognize the higher cost of doing business in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the roadmap was released -- and this is the -- as it is, it's a roadmap for the framework. And so we wanted to release the direction that we're going prior to -- as the work is going on with the framework. So this report was meant to show work done to build the new primary care framework, and it doesn't list every action. The new framework, which will include the strategies to improve staff well-being, recruitment, retention, long-term workforce, key components include valuing Indigenous roles and Indigenous leadership on care teams, increasing Indigenous...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. To my left, I have deputy minister Alan Doody. And to my right, I have assistant deputy minister Jeannie Mathison.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 40, An Act to Amend the Vital Statistics Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as this is an essential service to the residents of the Northwest Territories, it is where our most vulnerable are having to be moved from small communities to the regional centres, regional centres that need to have access in the capital, and to the southern -- to Alberta. Within this -- you know, I'd have to get back to the Member on how procurement is done. I am very familiar with a lot of the portfolios; however, procurement is not one of the things that I delve down into on a day-to-day basis. So I would have to get back to the back. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do receive these complaints but don't track the complaints specifically about which staff are -- through the office, like if it's temporary or permanent. They do record general complaints related to discrimination, but they don't identify, as I mentioned, whether they're temporary or permanent staff. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a culturally safe healthcare system does not only rely on culturally safe training. Workforce instability affects continuity in care of patients, and hiring people alone doesn't guarantee cultural safe care. Cultural safety must be built in to the whole system so everybody provider can deliver it, even temporary staff. Our new primary and community care framework puts cultural safety and anti-racism at the centre of the framework and a culturally safe system that will attract staff who share those values which will boost morale, which will reduce burnout...

Mr. Speaker, residents across the Northwest Territories rely on laboratory and diagnostic imaging services to get timely answers about their health, and they expect their government to respond when access to those services are not meeting their needs.

I have heard clearly from residents, from Members in this House, and from healthcare providers about long wait times and barriers to accessing laboratory and diagnostic imaging services. These concerns were consistent, well-founded, and required action. As the Minister of Health and Social Services, I knew change was required, and I took steps to...

We continue to provide the services that we're able to provide for hematology/oncology in the Northwest Territories; however, there are portions of it that we continue to have to send patients to Alberta to see the haematologist/oncologist. And this funding is there. It is in the budget. It will continue to be in the budget because we are continuing to recruit for those positions. Once we are able to designate -- or Alberta is able to work with us to designate those positions, the oncologist positions to us, then, you know, that's what the money will be spent on. At this point it's there; it's...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I believe that, you know, when it comes to this issue, we're -- we as a Cabinet are all -- we are all working through this, and I know that my department and justice and the RCMP, they also -- they also are working together right now, you know, and I -- it's just -- yeah, it's an area that it came, you know, and I -- it's a hard place because when we have people who are afraid to report, we also have people that are, you know, are afraid to leave for treatment. We have -- you know, when we hear about people that are coming home from treatment, you know, when I...