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
Constituency Office

125 Mackenzie Rd
Unit 203
Inuvik NT X0E 0T0
Canada

P.O. Box
3130
Constituency Phone
Minister's Office
Email

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 76)

That's correct. The only change is that decrease for the sobering centre. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 76)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, with the billing part of air ambulance, so say for instance non-insured health benefits, all of the air ambulance flights for First Nation and Inuit in the Northwest Territories that don't fall under employer benefits get billed to NIHB, and I believe that the billing for NIHB is -- has what's -- there's more going through to NIHB to cover those costs now. I am not sure if it wasn't being billed before. Yeah, my understanding is there was -- some of it that wasn't being billed. And so that -- government was paying for those costs. And so with the -- I believe...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 76)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we all know in this House, any time GNWT wants to implement some kind of a computer technology, it's not as easy as just the Minister saying it on the floor of this House. It's going to take analysis. It's going to see if it meets our standards of keeping health information, you know. So if there is an easier route, then I will definitely commit to being able to seeing if we can have -- you know, that through the next business plan rounds to implement; however, at this point I can't commit to ensuring that it's there. I will commit to seeing that if...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 76)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. You know, and I appreciate the comments from the Member. And, you know, I think one of the areas where -- since COVID, I believe that most of the healthcare providers -- and we've heard from healthcare practitioners, health care -- you know, all healthcare providers and people working in the 24-hour system is this work-life balance. So if -- even if we were to say, okay, we're going to pay you more, people only want to work so much hours, and they may not increase the amount of hours they do by just by increasing the pay, you know. It actually could be negative. Like, you...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 75)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And so the scope of this project, I believe, is quite extensive and daunting, and I would assume that there are few suppliers who could possibly meet the entire contents of that RFP. Does the Department or the Minister have a contemplation of how long it may take to find a successful applicant? Are there companies that they've identified that probably have the capabilities to do this work? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 75)

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the conversations that I've had with NTHSSA, as this is the operational arm of the health, they have stated to us that these types of positions right now that they are -- they can pretty much say that they are able to recruit these positions, especially at the territorial hospital. And so what we have done, you know, and I think is that we've asked them to start to look at it, to be able to start that operationally and look as to what it looks like. And as some of -- under the direction of myself is to -- because NTHSSA, you know, they create their...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 75)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll turn that over to deputy minister Mr. Doody.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 75)

Yes, I would just refer to the funding to other sources in the appendices. That is where it's broken down to the different authorities. And so I believe if the Member is looking for the Tlicho health authority, TCSA, that would be broken down of what that's allocated there. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 75)

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 75)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, as the federal budget was only announced late in November that before -- before that, we -- you know, and then we begin to work with them to renew these two program areas. And so as of right now, I believe that the funding hasn't changed in either one of those with the federal government. We just are in the process of negotiating it and once those are signed off, I believe they're not -- there's no change in them. We already know what they are; we just have to sign them off now. And then because they expire at the end of March 31st, the current agreements, we...