This is page numbers 1317 - 1346 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd 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 million.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you. The Minister is taking that as notice. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.

Question 376-19(2): Protocols around Contact Tracing
Oral Questions

October 19th, 2020

Page 1327

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With respect to the current cases of suspected COVID in the Northwest Territories, I would not be doing my job if I did not revisit my question from yesterday. My questions for the Minister of health are not meant to raise panic; however, we are a small territory with an obligation to ensure that our residents are well-informed and that protocols have been followed. What I am asking for is a simple, straightforward response: can the Minister of health tell us that the department of health and the CPHO followed the protocols set in place with respect to the recent Yellowknife cases? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A review has not been done, but I have no reason to think they haven't followed the protocols.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Can the Minister tell me if there is anything in the Privacy Act that would prevent public health officials from accepting a list of contacts from a business showing who could possibly have had contact with a person who may be positive for COVID-19?

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Contact tracing is the responsibility of public health and community health nurses. It is up to them to interview the patient who has become ill and to establish where that person has been and who they have been in contact with. This is not a function that can be carried out by a business.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

I thought that I was asking about whether the health department was part of that, not the business. Anyway, I understand that we are following the national strategy for dealing with this pandemic. Are there any areas that the Minister sees that we could be improving on this strategy, and what would they be?

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

It's difficult to answer that question because this pandemic is still under way. Certainly, having new cases after months without having cases has refreshed everybody's responses to dealing with the CPHO protocols. In terms of areas that we can improve on, I'm open to suggestions. I don't see any right at this point. If Members have complaints from their constituents about the way in which the pandemic is being handled, of course, we answer those questions every day, and we would welcome more.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes. Numerous complaints about how the pandemic is being handled. As was mentioned yesterday in the House, there are many moving pieces. Would the Minister commit to notifying a business if they are going to be part of a public health release sooner than at the time of the public notification, as happened in this case? Thank you.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

The business in question here was notified before the public health advisory went out, and so were the RCMP. They, I know, responded in their own ways. I can't commit to any more than that. This is really a CPHO function. She decides when the release goes out, and she notifies people first. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Finance. I understand that we have internship programs within human resources, as well as the Indigenous Career Gateway Program in place. I do understand there are only so many internships available per year. Can the Minister tell me what the funding is annually for the internships, if she has it? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister of Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Finance is able to support up to 40 internship placements every year. That works out to being roughly $40,000 per year per placement. Thank you.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Can the Minister tell me how many interns there have been in this past year and how many were in health?

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

This year, there have been 24 interns in total. Of those, one went to the Department of Health and Social Services, in addition to which there were four who went to NTHSSA. They were scheduled to go there, but COVID-19 certainly has interrupted some of the processes that we would normally undertake to have interns recruited and placed.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

As I mentioned in my Member's statement, there is a gap in bridging students to the workforce. Will the Minister have her department of human resources look at the way to build a bridging program from the college, or any healthcare program, into our healthcare system?

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Recruiting more healthcare professionals is a mandate item for this government. There is already a health recruitment unit well under way, which is a partnership between Health and Social Services and the Department of Finance. In short, yes, I certainly can commit on the part of Finance, on the part of human resources, to taking some steps, to developing some ideas, and to having them ready. Aside from that, this will be something that becomes a multi-departmental response. I am confident that, as I said, human resources will do its part, and I am confident that I will be able to work with my colleagues to see that those ideas from human resources can get looked at and considered by those who are on the front lines in the health department.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the things that I know is that there are some other programs that are for GNWT employees to access training dollars, but I don't know if this is widely known of the hiring managers and the staff. Will the Minister commit to looking into all the funding pots that we can so that we can train current staff, so that we can possibly train them, if they choose to, to go out to health centres, into specialty areas like obstetrics, emergency? These are the areas that we keep struggling with, and these are the ones that we keep bringing in people from outside the territory to fill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Again, yes, I am happy to make the commitment on my part, certainly, that we will make sure and put that information together. I recognize that it's an acute problem, perhaps, for our colleagues in the Health and Social Services field, but even more broadly than that, making sure that, if there are programs being run by human resources, that they are known and accessible to those doing the hiring in communities and in regions, particularly in health. That is critical, otherwise all the great programs that we might have aren't adequately being accessed. That is actually a specific issue and question that human resources is looking at to ensure that we are doing our job and to ensure that the good work that we are doing in human resources gets translated, and so I certainly will commit to doing that and to continuing to do that. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I'm just going back to my Member's statement on mental health in self-isolation centres. For me, the way I look at it, if you are in a self-isolation centre, just a helpline alone is not enough. My first question is for Madam Premier: can the Premier confirm if there are mental health workers, i.e. counsellors, ready and available at our self-isolation centres?

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Honourable Premier.