Mr. Speaker, today I would like to share some information with this House about the process I will be undertaking as Minister of Health and Social Services to address the critical need to implement comprehensive reform of the health and social services system.
This reform, that has been attempted with limited success over the past six or seven years, is critical to the long-term viability and sustainability of our health and social service system and to the health and well-being of the people of the NWT.
The health and social services system has been studied numerous times over the past six years, starting with the Med-Emerg report and ending most recently with the Cuff report. As the Cuff and other reports have pointed out, there are serious issues with the system as it currently exists. On the positive side, there are many very good people working in health and social services, both at the departmental and board levels, who have excellent ideas and can help us address the issues at hand if given adequate and appropriate support.
It is time to move beyond the studies and get on with substantial and sustainable reform of the health and social services system. The department has developed a draft action plan to implement changes in specific areas. There has been significant effort by those within the department to develop the action plan and that effort should be acknowledged. However, before it is ready to be released publicly, it is important to take that work and engage the critical stakeholders who will have to help us refine and finalize that plan. The final plan to be tabled must have clear and concrete actions that have the support of Cabinet, the MLAs, the department, the boards and the public.
Mr. Speaker, I intend to take some immediate steps to build consensus and agreement on how to proceed with this reform. One of the critical pieces is to have an oversight team that can work with me to keep the process on schedule. This team will include myself, the deputy minister of the department, a coordinator of systems reform and my executive assistant. The coordinator will report directly to me to ensure there is a balance between regional priorities and the department's priorities. This position will also ensure that all of the pieces of the project are kept on schedule and implemented in a coordinated way. Department and board staff will do the work to prepare action plans for specific areas of concern and this oversight team will keep the process moving forward and on schedule. We also have the support of the secretary to Cabinet to help provide a peer review of the plan as we put it in place.
Mr. Speaker, there are a series of actions that I believe will set the stage for starting to carry out the reform. Over the next three weeks, I hope to meet with the chairs of the health and social services boards to discuss this process and their key areas. I would like them to share their issues with me, as well as their thoughts on what we could do to fix the most critical of these.
I have been meeting with the deputy minister to discuss the current state of health and social services and talk about opportunities and challenges over the next few months. I also intend to meet with the senior staff in the department to outline the importance of moving forward with the changes in a positive, productive and timely way. It is important that they know they will have my support to move ahead in areas where I feel we have a logical plan and support from the stakeholders. I plan to meet as many of the staff working in health and social services as possible. As part of finalizing the reform plan, we will invite their active input and participation as we put this plan together.
I will be travelling to NWT communities to discuss our approach to systems reform and to listen to health and social services board members, MLAs and other community leaders about their most pressing issues. Particular attention must be paid to those communities with emerging large-scale economic development opportunities such as the Delta and the Valley. We know from past experience that along with development comes a social impact that must be planned for. Meetings will also take place with the NWT Medical Association, the NWT Registered Nurses Association and the NWT Social Workers Association, who will all need to be involved in this system reform.
Timeliness is critical. It is my intention to bring a plan to Cabinet within 90 days that can be tabled at the beginning of the February session. This plan would identify those areas where we can make swift progress and provide immediate relief to some of the pressing issues for both the department and the health and social services boards. The plan will also identify time lines including what can happen in a six-month period, a one-year period and which items will take longer. The plan will demonstrate that we are committed to proceeding with change.
Mr. Speaker, an important part of this plan is communications. We must have communications that keep Ministers, MLAs, board chairs and their members, staff and the public informed every step of the way. Cabinet, MLAs and board chairs need to be closely tied into the process.
As I mentioned earlier, there are many dedicated people working within the system. We need to give them credit for the work they are doing and for the ideas they have to make things better.
Mr. Speaker, I think there is tremendous potential to improve our health and social services system and look forward to the opportunity to help guide that process. As we undertake this significant work, I hope we will have the support of my colleagues in this House and all of those territorial residents who have an interest in health and social services, from a personal or professional perspective. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause