This is page numbers 667 - 696 of the Hansard for the 15th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was health.

Topics

Members Present

Honourable Brendan Bell, Honourable Paul Delorey, Honourable Charles Dent, Mrs. Groenewegen, Honourable Joe Handley, Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Lafferty, Ms. Lee, Hon. Michael McLeod, Mr. McLeod, Hon. Kevin Menicoche, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. Pokiak, Mr. Ramsay, Honourable Floyd Roland, Mr. Villeneuve, Mr. Yakeleya

---Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Please be seated. Good afternoon, colleagues. Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, later today I will table two important publications "Shaping our Future 2006-2010" and the supporting document "Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Action Plan 2006-2010."

The document "Shaping our Future 2006-2010" is a strategic plan that addresses the influences on and challenges of our system, and provides goals and strategic directions for NWT health care. The strategic plan is based on the integrated services delivery model, a model for delivery of health care services including mental health and addictions, diagnostic services, rehabilitation services, protection services, continuing care and promotion and prevention.

The strategic plan is intended to provide a focal point for developing a shared commitment to providing people of the NWT with the best possible health care and social services. Its strategies help us to improve the health of NWT residents by encouraging them to make healthy personal choices.

The document "Action Plan 2006-2010" provides information and timelines on the initiatives that arise from the strategic plan and supports the goals and strategic directions laid out in that plan.

A significant part of the strategic plan is the Healthy Choices Framework. This is a collaborative and coordinated approach to health promotion. Examples of initiatives that assist us in preventing unhealthy behaviours include NWT Tobacco Strategy, Healthy Eating and Active Living Strategy and Sexually Transmitted Infection Strategy.

In addition to the public health initiatives noted above, we are working to expand the use of licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives to address workload issues and improve client care.

We are recruiting new rehabilitation teams to offer expertise in speech and language therapy, audiology and physiotherapy and to help reduce wait times for rehabilitation services. These rehabilitation teams will be stationed in the South Slave region, Beaufort-Delta region,

Yellowknife and the Stanton Territorial Hospital. They will be travelling on a regular basis to communities within their catchment area.

Mr. Speaker, "Shaping our Future 2006-2010" and "Action Plan 2006-2010" provide the direction to ensure health care needs for NWT residents are being met. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ministers' statements. Honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Joe Handley

Joe Handley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the Members of this Assembly that we have reached an agreement with the Akaitcho Dene First Nations that clears the way...

---Applause

...for the GNWT to resume its participation in the Akaitcho process negotiations.

The ADFN and the GNWT have agreed on an interim withdrawal of 1034 hectares of Commissioner's land within the city of Yellowknife. The Interim Land Withdrawal Agreement is consistent with the objectives set out in the Interim Land Withdrawal Protocol signed by negotiators for the ADFN, the GNWT and the Government of Canada on November 21, 2005, as part of the Akaitcho process negotiations on land, resources and governance.

The interim land withdrawal will protect identified lands from being sold, leased or otherwise disposed of while negotiations are underway. This means that no new interests can be created on the withdrawn lands for a period of five years or until an Akaitcho final agreement is reached, whichever comes first. It also ensures that any existing interests on these lands are protected during the period of the withdrawal. The principles and process for these land withdrawal negotiations were laid out in the Interim Land Withdrawal Protocol.

Mr. Speaker, interim land withdrawal is an important step in a series of complex negotiations that must take place in order to reach an Akaitcho final agreement.

The interim land withdrawal creates positive benefits for the City of Yellowknife as the agreement we have reached will remove the legal uncertainty around the development of municipal lands within the city of Yellowknife, thereby allowing the city to better manage development pressures by ensuring access to the remaining Commissioner's lands within its municipal boundaries. The city was kept advised of progress during our discussions with the Akaitcho leading up to this agreement and they received a

full briefing this morning on the details of the interim land withdrawal.

I believe the agreement we have announced today through a negotiated settlement is a positive signal of the willingness of the parties to find solutions to difficult and complex issues. I am optimistic that this will serve us well as all parties continue the important work of reaching an agreement-in-principle at the Akaitcho process negotiations. I ask all Members to join Minister McLeod, the Akaitcho chiefs and me in a brief celebration in the Great Hall later this afternoon to commemorate this agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Ministers' statements. Honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Joe Handley

Joe Handley Weledeh

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable David Krutko will be absent from the House today to attend the workers' compensation conference in Vancouver, B.C. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Before we go on, Members, I would like to draw your attention to the visitors' gallery. There are a couple of former Members in the gallery; Mr. Steve Nitah and Mr. Robert Sayine are with us today.

---Applause

Ministers' statements. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Custody And Access Of Children
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to add my thoughts on the issue of custody and access to children by divorced and separated parents. As you are well aware, Mr. Speaker, under Canadian law, in all matters dealing with children, the key question the court asks always is what is in the best interest of children. In all cases dealing with custody and access of children, the court will consider all circumstances of children's lives including the circumstances of the parents. In all cases, the court looks to give as much access to children to both parents no matter who ends up with the day-to-day care and custody of the children. Because the court believes, as we all do, that it's in the best interest of children to have the support and nurture of both parents.

But we all know, and the court realizes this too, that this is not always the case, or possible, due to the specific circumstances of a case, whether it be because of the location where the parents reside or their life circumstances. In cases of older children, their own opinion and preference factor too. But the court would look at all evidence put forward by both parents before the court to make the right decisions for the children, even if the parents may not like them sometime.

On this basis, Mr. Speaker, I believe it's not supported by the evidence to suggest that the court has a bias against one parent or another. It is true that mothers are more often the one with custody of children by virtue of the fact that mothers are more often primary caregivers of their children, but this is not mandated in law. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I'm seeing more and more cases in my riding where fathers are getting the sole custody of children with access rights to mothers who move away from Yellowknife. I met three single fathers in my riding with teenage children just this summer, Mr. Speaker.

The same is true of child support payments. I was approached this summer by a mother who, since moving back to Yellowknife, is taking care of her children as much as the father, but is being asked to pay a high level of child support which has required her to have two part-time jobs on top of her government job.

Mr. Speaker, I'm also aware that in all cases the court supports and tries to honour any workable arrangements jointly agreed to by the estranged parents who set aside their differences to make it work in the best interest of children. I'm also aware that the court supports any effort at mediation between the parties and in some cases...Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement?

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Ms. Lee.

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Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm also aware that the court supports any effort at mediation between the parties and in some cases would order the parents to enter into mediation talks, especially if it helps to lessen the trauma of the children going through the often adversarial nature of our judicial system.

Mr. Speaker, I'll be watching with a great deal of interest what this proposed shared parenting federal legislation will bring if it does come out. In the interim, I believe the focus of this Justice Minister in this government should be on increasing the resources of legal aid and mediation services for all parents who need help to get through this difficult process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Custody And Access Of Children
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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Support For Victims Of Sexual Abuse
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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was called away from the House and didn't participate in the motion on the censure of our Premier and the recommendations to help survivors of sexual abuse. I've been a strong advocate of survivors of sexual abuse, especially in residential schools.

Mr. Speaker, I make my statement with great sadness and grief. I'm a victim of the residential school sexual assault. After hearing what the Premier had said, I felt a distance from the Premier. When we were going through the trial, parents, families, friends and even residents of Inuvik came to the trial and demonstrated the compassion that I did not see with Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, at the residential schools, the church and the federal government and the government-hired people like Ed Horne, Martin Huston, John Comeau, George Mazynski, and Paul Leroux. Mr. Speaker, I asked the Premier to read the testament of Dr. Peter Collins, an expert in sex crimes and how pedophiles function. Mr. Speaker, the Premier will be well advised to read this and he will learn a few things about Ed Horne and others like him. What you say to my friends from the era of residential schools, Mr. Speaker, as a token of regret and compassion the Premier should tour the Mackenzie Valley and apologize to each community who went to residential schools, perhaps requesting the bishops of the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches to accompany him.

After the Grollier Hall trials we had made a recommendation that the residential school aftermath advisor be appointed by the government-of-the-day. This was not done. As a method of keeping abreast of residence school issues, Mr. Speaker, I recommend again, on behalf of the residential school sexual abuse survivors and sexual abuse survivors across the North, to point a residential school aftermath advisor. We do not know who the Premier listens to in this office on issues like these, but we must listen to survivors and not to the advisors who live in Yellowknife. Listen to the survivors.

One of my constituents asked me what kind of man is Mr. Handley. Mr. Premier, I had to defend Mr. Handley because I'm part of this government. Mr. Speaker, we, as victims of sexual abuse, can't put our hand out to Mr. Handley like the RCMP did to us when they believed us in Grollier Hall on the sexual abuse issues. Mr. Handley's apologies we are capable of accepting. Mr. Speaker, some of our drummers in the Sahtu are doing a prayer song for us in the Legislature here today.

Support For Victims Of Sexual Abuse
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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Mr. Yakeleya, your time for Member's statement is expired.

Support For Victims Of Sexual Abuse
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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues for unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Support For Victims Of Sexual Abuse
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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Yakeleya.

Support For Victims Of Sexual Abuse
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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, some of our drummers sometimes do a prayer song for us at the Legislative Assembly here. Mr. Speaker, now the healing begins with the Premier and my people. Thank you very much.

---Applause

Support For Victims Of Sexual Abuse
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty North Slave

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, (Translation) I want to talk about some tragedies that are happening in my community regarding health issues. In the last few months it is stated that we have a lot of TB in our region and it's especially affecting the elders in our community. In some of the small communities we don't have nurses working there, so those are my concerns. (End of translation)

In the Northwest Territories, between the years 2000 to 2004 our TB rate was four times the national rate. The Department of Health and Social Services says they are on their way to eliminating the disease. In 2001 the department committed to bringing the TB rates down to national levels by 2005. However, the department is only halfway to their target and has now pushed the deadline back to 2010, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, a few months back it was published in the newspaper that Tlicho is one of the hardest hit in the region of the Northwest Territories. The women and elderly are hit the hardest by this disease, a disease which is easily prevented.

Mr. Speaker, there needs to be professionals in small communities familiar with the treatment of TB and how it spreads. Someone needs to monitor the situation and make sure that people are taking their medications so that outbreaks do not occur, Mr. Speaker. In communities like Wekweeti they only see a public health nurse maybe once or twice a month, Mr. Speaker. Other communities like Fort Smith hire locums when they have a shortage, but this doesn't seem to be the case with Wekweeti, who has to go without proper health care, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I want to say that the health and well-being of my constituents is very important to me and I'm tired of seeing the disease take control of our people, ruining their lives and the lives of their families. In place of fantasies about roads to mines or overpriced bridges, we need to get serious and focus on the health and well-being of the people of the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Integrated Model Of Health Services
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Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to speak today about some health care issues in the Northwest Territories, as well. The Minister provided us with a statement here today on an integrated model of health services and it is true that we are a small jurisdiction. Realistically we cannot expect to have every service in every community. I think we need to have a minimum standard of service available and that would include nurses at least in every community. But when you get into the different sizes of communities, there are different procedures and services that are available.

Stanton Territorial Hospital plays a very integral role to that integrated service and that network of services available to residents of the Northwest Territories and certainly to residents of my community of Hay River. Hay River would like to have permanent doctors, which we don't have right now. We have one permanent position; the rest we rely completely on locums. However, understanding the government does provide the funding for five permanent resident doctors for Hay River, we appreciate that, we could use more help in identifying permanent doctors. I think the department could be doing more, as was raised earlier in helping with the accreditation of foreign doctors, because I know there are doctors around the Northwest Territories, but we don't seem to have a process in Canada or the Northwest

Territories for accrediting these doctors who certainly are qualified to operate in their countries of origin.

Mr. Speaker, when the services at Stanton are diminished due to shortages of staff, it affects Hay River as well. It's much easier for my constituents to come here to receive specialized services than it is for them to go all the way to Edmonton. I think that we have the idea of a network. I think that we need to continue to be more creative in how we address staffing, the infrastructure, and filling the positions for the services that we have identified. I think that the plan is good, but there are shortfalls in terms of the human resources to meet those needs. Later today I will be talking more at length about how we can find creative ways of addressing the health challenges, particularly in the area of health care professionals in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Integrated Model Of Health Services
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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Misdiagnoses By Nurses In Small Communities
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Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The discussion on hiring health care professionals in our health system has been a long outstanding issue, particularly with regard to retention and recruitment. Mr. Speaker, for today my topic will relate to misdiagnosis of patients by nurses in small communities. I know that nurses do the best they can, but there's always room for improvement in how we treat patients in our communities. I'm aware of three individual cases from Tuktoyaktuk where patients complained of stomach pain and were diagnosed and told it was just a sprain or ulcer. Mr. Speaker, in these cases all three individuals were eventually medevaced out of the community and had to have immediate surgery.

I would like to discuss one case in particular of a young 16-and-a-half-year-old individual who was vibrant and active in sports. He complained of pain in his stomach to his parents. An appointment was made at the health centre and the outcome was he probably sprained something in his stomach which would heal in time. Mr. Speaker, the pain continued for over one week and once again an appointment was made at the local health centre. Eventually the nurse in charge decided to send him to the Inuvik Regional Hospital for a check-up with a doctor. On his arrival to the hospital, this young individual's appendix burst. This created complications during the operation and consequently the young individual ended up in the hospital for one month for recovery, let alone be medevaced to Yellowknife three times, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the parents took time off from work and flew to Inuvik to be with their son while he was recovering from the operation. Not once did a doctor give an update on their son's recovery to the parents during this time. I'd like to report today, Mr. Speaker, that this young person is slowly gaining weight and is becoming active in sports again. Mr. Speaker, if the nurses reacted sooner about the complaint, this young person would not have suffered so much. To me this was a complete misdiagnosis by the nurse in Tuktoyaktuk.

In incidents like this, Mr. Speaker, any patient that complains of pain in their body should have the opportunity to be diagnosed by a doctor. This kind of situation should not be tolerated in small communities regardless if the case may be different, and the nurses may be able to make appointments with a doctor.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I do not want to see any more patients going through what this young person or the parents went through in this ordeal. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Misdiagnoses By Nurses In Small Communities
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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Pokiak.