This is page numbers 6883 - 6924 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 6th 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 fund.

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. If we’ve missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Assembly. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. It’s always nice to have an audience in here.

Item 6, acknowledgements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, with great sadness, I wish to pause and make special note to the First Air flight that met with tragic ends on its approach into Resolute Bay this past Saturday.

As we all know, 12 of the 15 people on board didn’t make it and, without any doubt, the impact of this tragedy will have significant and lasting effects on all Northerners.

I know that this experience has affected two families directly in the riding of Yellowknife Centre, both the Golding and Merritt families. My heart goes out to them as well as all the other families that lost loved ones on that flight that day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my questions with regard to my Member’s statement on the delivery of health services in Nahendeh to the Minister of Health and Social Services.

For the last eight years I’ve been continuing to raise about the ability of having translators, about having cultural training workshops for staff. It appears that it has taken a relapse again, so to speak. I know it comes in waves, cross-cultural training. I’d like to ask the Minister if there is consistent cross-cultural training that happens with the front-line health staff in our communities. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Health and Social Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is the intent, recognizing, of course, as the Member pointed out along with other MLAs, that one of the challenges is the rapid turnover in staff and often the use of locums or casual nurses. It is a challenge.

I appreciate the Member’s comments and feedback. I intend to follow up with the board chair and the deputy minister. Thank you.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

I appreciate the Minister’s answers. I think just one of the solutions that must be done is we have to have consistent cultural training and awareness training programs for our front-line staff.

I spoke in my Member’s statement about our elders being turned away not once or twice but three times as you go to the health centres. They are being given Tylenol, like Mr. Yakeleya says. It is the same in my riding. They are going there and being given Tylenol. They are not being diagnosed or even examined properly. They are just saying they are sick, so here’s some Tylenol. I’d like to ask the Minister if he’s aware of this and what can be done to stop this type of practice and do proper medical examinations on our constituents. Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Health and Social Services

Once again, this is an important issue. The Member has written to me on some specific cases. I would point out that there are thousands of patients seen successfully every day across the Northwest Territories. We do have the occasions where things don’t quite work as planned. The issue of being more responsive and sensitive to the needs of seniors are cautions that are worthy of note. Once again, as I follow up on some of the concerns the Member is raising, that would be on the list. Thank you.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

I would think that doing a proper medical examination would be the first thing you do, because people are saying they are going there and getting cursory examinations and given Tylenol. I’d like the Minister’s commitment that the front-line staff must do this to our residents and constituents.

The other issue is about having proper translators and training for the front-line translators that are there. What type of training program is available to the front-line workers that deal with people on a daily basis? Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Health and Social Services

Once again, some of those services are available usually at the larger centres, the health centres, the larger facilities, the long-term care facilities. The issue of translators in the small communities is more problematic. Once again, if the front-line staff is experienced and from the region, it’s a different issue than if they are just in town for a few weeks. The Member, once again, raises an issue where we don’t have the complete solution. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much. I know we are beefing up our Aboriginal Languages Training Program, working with the Minister of Education. That is a commitment of this government. I think it’s time we start doing a coordinated approach. Perhaps the Minister of Heath could work with the Department of

Education. Let’s get these terminology courses happening in all our Aboriginal languages provided to our front-line workers, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister commit to do that? Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Health and Social Services

Yes, I will discuss with our deputy and the Minister of Education to make sure we are coordinated and connected on that important initiative. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Premier and I’d like to ask some questions with regard to the Anti-Poverty Strategy or the development of, or maybe I should say lack of development of.

I’d like to ask the Premier initially if he could advise, give us -- the House -- an update or advise the status of the report on the Anti-Poverty Strategy discussion paper. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Member will be happy to hear that, in fact, I’ve just signed off a letter to forward the discussion paper to the Standing Committee on Social Programs. Thank you.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

I am very pleased to hear that. I want to thank the Premier for that response. It’s coming at the last hour, but better that it come than it not come at all.

In this next period through the election period and through October until the next Assembly gets up and running, I’d like to know whether or not there are any activities relative to the development of this paper or the Anti-Poverty Strategy planned during the next several months. Thank you.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

The work that we’ve done in forwarding the discussion paper to committee, we’ll await their response. Clearly, as I’ve indicated to Members, this will be part of the transition that we will be preparing for the 17th Assembly.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thanks to the Premier for that. That was my next question, was relative to the transition document from the government. I’m really pleased to hear that it’s in there. It’s really unfortunate that we couldn’t have had greater work done in the 16th Assembly. What kind of a priority is assigned to the development of an Anti-Poverty Strategy in the transition document to the 17th Assembly? Thank

you.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

The transition document itself will cover quite a number of areas: the work that we’ve been doing as the 16th Assembly, the

work that’s ongoing. This will fall into that category of ongoing work and put it before them. I can’t weight a priority of the next government, but it will be part of that document of transition and a commitment from the 16th Assembly. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Premier. I would sincerely hope that all candidates in this upcoming election will seriously consider whether or not they can pledge to make the Anti-Poverty Strategy a top priority in the next Assembly, should they end up here.

To the Premier, I don’t know whether he can answer this question or not, but since the paper has just gone to standing committee, can he give us any indication of when the paper might be released to the public? Thank you.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

The work that we’re doing by handing it over to the committee for their initial look and being part of the transition I can’t commit to a public release. We would have to, as we transition this to the next government, leave it to the new government to decide if they will distribute it publicly after hearing from the committees in the 17th Assembly.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.