Thank you, Member. Minister.
Debates of March 1st, 2021
This is page numbers 2199 - 2242 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 going.
Topics
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Julie Green Yellowknife Centre
Thank you. I don't have an end date for the COVID secretariat, so I am not sure that it will be wrapped up this fall. In terms of whether this lease has to be paid through until the end of March, I will ask Ms. Mathison to answer that.
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Mathison
Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't, off the top, have an answer for that. I would have to refer to the lease agreement to see if there is an option, with 30 days' notice, you can opt out. I would think that the staff that are there in the COVID secretariat will need to still be there for some time, even when things get better for COVID, in terms of windup and transition, et cetera. That's as much as I can say right now. Thank you.
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Katrina Nokleby Great Slave
Thank you, Madam Chair. I know it's not exactly in this area, but what are the terms or the end dates of the positions of the COVID secretariat employees, which would be in part of their contracts? Wouldn't we not, then, have an estimated end date, or do they all go to the end of March, as well? Thank you.
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The Chair Lesa Semmler
Thank you, Member. Just because COVID secretariat was done with a different Minister and it's a different staffing any questions shouldn't be too in-depth into the COVID secretariat, just in regards to the lease information item. Thank you.
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Katrina Nokleby Great Slave
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will follow up with the appropriate Minister at the time. Thanks.
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Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am looking at page 197, and I see that the Territorial Health Investment Fund about the medical travel and oral health and cultural competencies are expiring. My understanding is that this started in 2015 and went to 2018, and then the federal government once again announced, kind of, a new program to bring us to 2021. Are there any discussions or any talk of another Territorial Health Investment Fund, or is this fund simply sunsetted with no plans by the federal government to replace it? Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Julie Green Yellowknife Centre
Thank you. This is an area of great interest and effort on the part of the department. I will ask the deputy minister to speak to those negotiations that are ongoing. Thank you.
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Cooper
Thank you, Madam Chair. We have been working very closely with the other two territories in putting forward the position that the Territorial Health Investment Fund has been adding value and should continue. Our position has been clearly stated, backed up by strong evidence, and fingers crossed. I know the federal government is currently deliberating. We look forward to the outcomes of those discussions. Thank you.
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Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North
Thank you, Madam Chair. I think we all look forward to the outcomes of those discussions, so perhaps just a commitment from the Minister that, when we have an answer or a response from the federal government on the Territorial Health Investment Fund going forward, that it will be shared with the appropriate committee. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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The Chair Lesa Semmler
Thank you. Are there any further questions on the information items? Member for Deh Cho.
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Ronald Bonnetrouge Deh Cho
Mahsi, Madam Chair. Page 197, the Northern Wellness Agreement, I know that it gave large sums of funding to First Nations groups to deal with their wellness, their healthy child development, mental wellness, and healthy living. Are we going to see any further funding in this area to help the First Nations groups deal with wellness programs? Mahsi.
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Julie Green Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Madam Chair. We, as a department, fund a lot of different kinds of wellness initiatives like the healthy choices fund, which was just announced today for applications. With respect to this specific federally funded pot of money on wellness, I'll ask the deputy minister if he could provide some more detail. Thank you.
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Cooper
Thank you, Madam Chair. The agreement that the Member is referring to is a five-year agreement. It started in 2019, it goes to 2024. It's worth a little over $50 million over five years, and indeed, a good portion of this funding does flow to communities and to different regions, through the community wellness initiatives. There is a cluster of different initiatives that we do under this funding that benefit communities. We have an excellent relationship with the federal government and are always looking for opportunities to find new funds through project funding, as the Minister referred to, that we can flow to communities. Thank you.
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