This is page numbers 1413 - 1442 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 health.

Topics

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, because it's on addictions, I'll transfer it to the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Member for Monfwi for his question. I think one of the first things to sort out is what is a healing centre and what is an addictions treatment centre. I'm not confident that they are the same thing. Not everybody who needs healing is an addict who needs to go through the process of detox and a 28-day program and the aftercare and so on. I think the discussion needs to be broader. What is it that we want this centre to do? The Truth and Reconciliation Commission sees it specifically as a healing centre and commits the federal money for that purpose. We're very interested in seeing what happens in Nunavut with their healing centre, what kind of lessons we can learn and apply here in the NWT. Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Since truth and reconciliation, 94 recommendations came out. More specifically on number 20 and 21, it's been well over five years. This government should have been prepared. When the first TRC came out what were the plans in place? I'd like to know from either the Premier or Minister of Health and Social Services what partnerships has this government explored with the federal government to follow up on the call to action number 20? What have we learned from our neighbour Nunavut's very successful federal engagement in pursuant of their new treatment centre for their territory?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

I'd like to defer this to the Minister of Health and Social Services.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Minister of Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's my understanding that Nunavut, with a more homogeneous population, put together a proposal and requested federal funding. That's not the stage that I understand that we're at here. I'm not aware that this government ever says no to federal money, but I've never seen a proposal for this healing centre. I'm not clear where things are at. I want to say that there is no reason that the GNWT alone needs to take the lead on this. Indigenous governments and Indigenous government organizations could band together to create a proposal and work with the GNWT on that or not work with the GNWT on that. It's not only up to the GNWT to make this happen. There has to be engagement and leadership from Indigenous governments. Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Minister alluded to a proposal. She's waiting on the proposal. We need to be proactive as the GNWT to engage with the federal government, similar to Nunavut. Nunavut's been proactive, and here we are. Are we going to be missing out on almost $75 million from the federal government? I'm dismayed. I'm disappointed that we're at this stage after almost five years. TRC recommendation came out and here we are still talking. We should be putting those into actions. I have a question on the Nunavut's ability to, I guess, secure the funding. How is it that Nunavut was able to secure $50 million in federal funding for an addiction treatment centre and we weren't? Without delay we should be approaching Ottawa for the same funding.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

I have no detailed information about how Nunavut created a plan to get the federal government to provide money for a healing centre in Nunavut. I certainly could find that out. I want to reiterate that it does not have to be up to the GNWT. Indigenous governments and Indigenous government organizations could band together to write a proposal for federal funding for a healing centre and to have some focus around what kind of services they want in that centre and where the centre will be located.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Monfwi.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Masi, Mr. Speaker. When we ask questions to Ministers or Premiers, I guess the longer the answers, the more questions it creates for us, so I have some more questions here. Mr. Speaker, there are best practices already in place with Nunavut, over five years now. Obviously, our territorial government should be working very closely with Nunavut to gather that information. I am very surprised and shocked that our current Department of Health and Social Services does not have that information at hand. Passing on the buck does not sit well with me. We are representing the GNWT here, so I have a question to either the Premier or the Minister. Would the Premier or Minister provide us with an itemized response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 calls to action, including progress made on each, especially on calls to action numbers 20 and 21? Masi.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

What's truly surprising and shocking is that this issue did not come out during our mandate priority setting exercise, not a word about an addictions or healing centre at that time. The TRC recommendations are directed to the federal government. I understand that there is a role for all of us to play in telling the government what it is we want them to fund, so that is certainly work that could take place. Just to remind the Member for Monfwi, I have been the health Minister for eight weeks, and I have learned a tremendous amount. I have not had the opportunity yet to learn about the Nunavut healing centre. I am prepared to do that and return to him with information. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Ronald Bonnetrouge

Ronald Bonnetrouge Deh Cho

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My Member's statement alluded to the fact that the leadership of my community are puzzled by the fact that the Chief Public Health Officer has carte blanche, that is full discretionary power, to approve self-isolation plans of medical patients in order to return to their respective communities without any consultations or approvals with local leadership prior to CPHO granting the approval. I believe this process is also done for contractors who come from out of territory to conduct work in the territories, as the leadership have never ever been contacted. Can the Minister of health or the Premier provide an explanation as to why the approval process does not include prior consultation with local leadership, considering we are in a pandemic? Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a matter of fact, the Chief Public Health Officer has the authority to accept or deny applications for self-isolation. She has mandated, of course, that people isolate in the four hub communities, and there have been questions about exceptions so that people can go to their home community to isolate. I realize that that is the case in Fort Providence most recently. There is not a process that respects the privacy legislation, that allows the CPHO to contact the leadership and say: so and so wants to isolate; how do you feel about that? Rather, the advice that is given is that the individual himself or herself contact the community leadership, discuss their plan with the leadership, and achieve their buy-in as a way to ensure that the community is comfortable with them being there. The alternative is that they will of course isolate in the hub communities. Thank you.

Ronald Bonnetrouge

Ronald Bonnetrouge Deh Cho

There are grave concerns from my leadership that the virus could spread into our communities without a proven way to test each person for the coronavirus. There are confirmed cases in the Northwest Territories from people who have travelled out of territory. For the benefit of medical travel patients, which could mean a shorter stay at the isolation centre, and for the comfort level and certainty for local leadership, can the coronavirus testing be conducted on the travellers upon arrival to the NWT?

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

It is my understanding that the only travellers or essential workers who get immediate tests are people who are going into a healthcare setting, that other people do not receive those tests. That is primarily a function of our capacity, that, if we do not have people who are symptomatic, we do not really have a good test for them at this point. There is work going on to provide that kind of testing, which is not really testing; it's screening. That is coming down the pipe, but it does not exist now. The gold-star approach would be that everybody who comes into the NWT is screened to see if they have COVID, but unfortunately, we don't have the capacity to do that at this point. Right now, our goal is in the region of 500 tests a week. There are about 1,200 people a week who come into the NWT, so that is the gap we are looking at.

Ronald Bonnetrouge

Ronald Bonnetrouge Deh Cho

The chief and council of my community are upset that a nurse from the South is allowed to self-isolate at the local health centre where the residents of the community go for healthcare issues. I have also received another complaint of a social services employee returning from a visit to the east coast and is currently back on the job at the health centre. This is the health centre where all our people go who are the most vulnerable. There most likely was not any requirement for COVID testing. This again provokes the notion as to whether we are playing Russian roulette with the lives of the residents of Fort Providence. Can the Minister provide an explanation as to the arrangement for the nurse in question?

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

I would like to assure the Member for Deh Cho that we are not playing Russian roulette with the lives of anyone in the NWT, including the people who live in Fort Providence. It's my understanding that healthcare workers are in the exempt list, which means that they have very specific procedures to follow. They have to have a COVID test. They have to wear a mask. They are not allowed to socialize after work or leave the place in which they are staying. There are efforts to bridge the gap between providing the medical service required and keeping the population safe from this person who has recently arrived. I do not have specific information on the Fort Providence nurse, but I could certainly obtain that and share it with the Member for Deh Cho.

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. With my Member's statement today, this was no way, shape, or form about "us against them." It's about equity. Our Indigenous public servants are being told to answer phones, while working for the GNWT, in English and French. This has been in effect since 2015, when it was rolled out, a language completely foreign to them, at the same time not allowing for active offers in their own languages. Why are we as a government forcing Indigenous public servants to answer phones in a language that is not theirs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to clarify something right off the bat, if an Indigenous employee or any employee wants to make an active offer in any one of our Indigenous languages, they are not only allowed to, I encourage them to. I think we need more of that. There is no policy saying that people cannot make active offers in their own languages. In case there is any question within the departments, the Minister is telling them right now that it is allowed and that it is encouraged.

---Applause

The reason that these active offers are being made is that Section 11(1) of the Official Languages Act requires service in English and French, and active offers will let citizens know that they can receive that service. It is required in head and central offices, as well as in Hay River, Inuvik, Yellowknife, and Fort Smith, where the majority of the francophone population is. When you go to an office, there is often signage. When you call somewhere, you can't see that there is signage, and so that's why that active offer is made in French. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you to the Minister for that. I am aware of the training and the videos that went along with it, and there was never any part of saying that you could do it in another language. Will the Minister review whatever policy or whatever could be put in place to make sure that our Indigenous public service who answer phones in French and English be removed or be informed that, if they want, they don't have to, they can answer in one of their own languages, for instance?