Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (English not provided)
Mr. Speaker, when I speak to the elders in my communities, they often talk about the sicknesses and epidemics of the past taking the lives of many loved ones. Fortunately, today our youth have never had to experience these types of losses and we, as a government, must do whatever we can to keep it that way. Avian influenza, or bird flu, is a virus primarily transferred by birds. There are many different types. Influenza H5N1 is a type of avian influenza that is of world-wide concern and is carefully monitored. Last fall in the Fraser Valley region of B.C. they experienced bird flu infections. This brought the once-distant flu pandemic concerns very close to home in Nahendeh.
Last session, the new chief of Jean Marie River asked me to request what the government will do in case of a severe outbreak. Does our government have an emergency response plan to a possible outbreak in the Northwest Territories? According to my research, it is transferable among wild birds, although most of the human infections were from domesticated birds. In the Nahendeh, many residents actively harvest traditionally and live off the land eating wild birds, like everybody else throughout the North. Many residents feel this infection may be transferable from wild birds.
The GNWT must inform the general public through a communication campaign on the avian flu virus. This government must be proactive in the intergovernmental approach involving the federal, territorial, local, and First Nation governments in an emergency response plan. Other jurisdictions in Canada have implemented a strategy and have started to store the necessary medication and vaccinations, and so should we. Furthermore, this virus is constantly changing and the response plans and vaccinations must also be evaluated periodically.
It seems like every day we hear on the evening news that there was another outbreak of this virus on humans. Some are close to home, some are quite far away, but with modern transportation and visitors from all over the world in the Northwest Territories, we are not isolated, we are not alone, and we must prepare. Mahsi.
---Applause