Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I would like to say is I would like to welcome and recognize the healthcare providers that are here today. Their continuous efforts to caring for our residents and the work that we're doing in this House every day to try and improve that, it's the feedback that we hear from them. Like I've said in the House many times, this is a big aircraft carrier to turn and I'm trying to turn this aircraft carrier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, and everyone is aware that, you know -- and I'm not going to speak for Alberta and their rules. And I know that their legislation does speak to puberty blockers before the age of 16 and surgeries before they're age 18. So when the Member speaks to top surgeries, yes, that's accurate. And also the conversation that I had in person with the Minister, and I am going to be going down to Alberta to meet with the -- you know, to schedule a meeting with the health Minister there. They have switched portfolios, so there is a new health Minister that will...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this was one of the reasons why, you know, we have an anesthetist, we have physicians that have -- we have to have the backup for cesarean sections to be able to provide services for labour and delivery and, you know, our physicians also need to go on vacation. So with the locum, the new locum rates, we're hoping that we can encourage locum and aesthetics and, you know, and GPs to come up to help with our physicians so that they can take the time off that they need as well as the nurses. As long as I've been in Inuvik, the nurses that do provide the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, within the -- with the Member's question, what I can say, as the schedule as developed, we have been scheduling physicians, emergency room physicians. Beyond what the development of the schedule is, I would have to get back to the Member as the schedule is developed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as this has only been implemented in the capital through the primary care clinic, the team-based approach, we are currently, you know, rolling it out in different areas of the territory. But in Yellowknife region right now, the nurse practitioners on the team do provide a full care with their scope to patients that are assigned to them. From the moving to -- from the old clinic space to the Liwego'ati, as it relates to nurse practitioners practice has not reduced their scope and historically nurse practitioners have not had patients specifically paneled to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, you know, I'm not going to repeat my answer. And what I will say is that with the Indigenous governments, you know, we do sit at the Council of Leaders, we do have bilaterals. We do have the community wellness and recovery fund that we do encourage Indigenous groups to access if they want to provide other, you know, traditional counselling, traditional elders with their traditional healing aftercare. So I do know that many of our Indigenous groups have been accessing this funding. There are some that we are continuing to work with on being able to access this fund...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have that level of detail with me, but I can get back to the Member with those numbers. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what we will be publishing right shortly is the people strategy which goes into detail on our updated plan for recruitment and retention that's guided by feedback from staff and residents. I'm looking forward to being able to brief standing committee on that strategy. While the success of this strategy is -- will not be seen instantly, it aims for this as to be continuous improvement and feedback from the staff. So one of the things with part of the question is assessing the progress in small and remote communities, so one of the key areas that we are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Ms. Denise McKee, the executive director of the NWT Disability Council who is joining us here today in the gallery. As we begin National Accessibility Week today, I want to acknowledge and commend her leadership and the council's partnership with GNWT which continues to advance inclusion and support for people with disabilities across our territories. Welcome to the House, Ms. McKee. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned -- and I don't want to keep going but it -- you know, with youth under 18, if they are looking for top surgeries, that is the route that we are looking at right now, if that is an insured services that Canada does provide, we will find the routes to do that and the department has been directed to begin looking at that.

One thing I would like to say, though, is although, you know, there is direction from the government, it is the health care people that actually are on the floor of -- you know, when our residents do, it's the nurses. We have nurses that...