Debates of March 9th, 2022

This is page numbers 3897 - 3946 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 know.

Topics

Oral Questions
Members Present
Prayer
Cultural Safety Update
Tourism in Small Communities
Post-Pandemic Health Supports
Allocation of Budgets
Positive Change Required for Small Communities
Lack of Infrastructure in Small Communities
Housing Repairs in Small Communities
Small Scale Hydro in Tlicho Communities
Illicit Drugs in Small Communities
Small Communities Infrastructure
Affirmative Action in Small Communities
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Post-Pandemic Health Supports
Allocation of Budgets
Small Community Infrastructure
Small Scale Hydro in Tlicho Communities
Tourism Training in Small Communities
Crack Cocaine Addiction Services
Apprentice Employment in Small Communities
Indigenous Recruitment and Retention
Written Question 37-19(2): Use of Indigenous Languages on Official Documents
Bill 37: Information and Protection of privacy act
Committee Report 25-19(2): Report on the Bill 37: An Act to Amend the Information and Protection of Privacy Act
Tabled Document 590-19(2): Canada Energy's Regulator's 2020-21 Annual Report of Activities under the Northwest Territories Oil and Gas Operations Act Tabled Document 591-19(2): Reimagining Closure Summary Report, January 26, 2022 Tabled Document 592-19(2): Review of Resource Royalties in the NWT Discussion Paper
Tabled Document 593-19(2): Plain Language Summary for Bill 46: An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act
Extended Adjournment of the House to March 28, 2022
Bill 47: An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, No. 2
Bill 46: An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Committee Motion
Report Of Committee Of The Whole
Orders Of The Day

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am here to present the 2022-2023 Main Estimates for the Department of Health and Social Services. Overall, the Department's estimates propose a decrease of $2 million, or 0.3 percent, over the 2021-2022 Main Estimates. These estimates support the mandate objectives for the Department of Health and Social Services while continuing to meet the GNWT's fiscal objectives to prioritize responsible and strategic spending.

Highlights of these proposed estimates include:

  • $1.55 million for initiatives, including resources to expand Healthy Family Programming as well as an allocation to continue the implementation of the territorial cancer care program;
  • $2.08 million to address Forced Growth; and,.
  • $26.3 million for other adjustments, the most significant being collective agreement increases and funding agreements with our federal partners offset by a $485,000 reduction to our travel budget.

The department anticipates a $32.14 million decrease in the budget because of the wind up of the COVID Secretariat. The rest of the decrease is a result of sunsetting agreements with funding partners, and 2021-2022 one-time budget allocations.

We continue to focus on our mandate and the priorities of the 19th Legislative Assembly by:

  • Increasing supports for meeting health and wellness needs and priorities of Indigenous people in the NWT;
  • Improving access to home and community care services in all NWT communities and ensuring services are provided in a culturally-safe manner to improve independence and quality of life;
  • Increasing supports for mental wellness and addictions recovery;
  • Improving early childhood development indicators through the renewal and expansion of the Healthy Family Program to support expecting parents and those with young children;
  • Enhancing culturally-safe relationship-based care through primary healthcare reform initiatives;
  • Engaging Indigenous governments regarding the implementation of federal legislation respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis children, youth and families;
  • Increasing attention to initiatives that improve the sustainability of the health and social services system; and finally
  • Increasing the stability and representation of the workforce by identifying labour force needs along with recruitment and retention strategies.

That concludes my opening remarks. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Do you wish to bring witnesses in?

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, I have witnesses.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Okay, just wait. Thank you. So we'll -- committee has agreed to forego general comments. Does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled documents?

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Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Committee, we will defer the departmental summary and review the estimates by activity summary. The committee has agreed to consider the activity, first, of COVID Secretariat. And does the Premier wish to bring witnesses into the House? Just wait, Minister of Health and Social Services.

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, where this operations and maintenance budget is for the next fiscal year, and we anticipate the COVID Secretariat winding up at the end of March, I'll be speaking to the COVID Secretariat. Thank you.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

All right. So do you wish to bring witnesses in then?

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

I do.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Sergeant-at-Arms, please bring the witness in.

All right. So Minister of Health and Social Services, please introduce your witnesses.

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Chair. On my left is Russell Neudorf, the associate deputy minister for the COVID Secretariat. And on my right is Mr. Bruce Cooper, the deputy minister of Health and Social Services.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Welcome. We will now start on page 178 with COVID Secretariat, and there is information items on page 179. Questions from Members? Questions for the COVID Secretariat? Don't see any, okay. Okay. Member for Frame Lake.

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Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Madam Chair. Look, I recognize that the main estimates were put together quite a while ago and the Minister has talked about the public health emergency ending April the 1st. So should we expect to see any changes in what's presented here in the main estimates? And why don't we start with that. Thanks, Madam Chair.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister of Health and Social Services.

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Chair. When you look at this page, you could see that the 2020-2021 Actuals are prorated for eight months, the eight months that the secretariat existed in that fiscal year. The 2021-2022 Main Estimates and revised estimates are for the full year. And the final column, the 2022-2023 Main Estimates are for first four months of the next fiscal year. It's our intention to bring over some of the staff to the Department of Health and Social Services to continue dealing with COVID as an endemic disease, and we are going to reassess our needs as this first four-month period comes to an end. Thank you.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

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Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Madam Chair. So after the four months -- well, okay. Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out how that's going to work because as I understand, once the public health emergency ends there's no more public health orders. So presumably compliance and enforcement operations are going to wind down very quickly. But I could see where there might still be need for, you know, some policy work, some sort of services around endemic management and so on. But the largest item on page 178 for the COVID Secretariat is compliance and enforcement. So should we expect that that's going to wind down very quickly, or how's that's going to transition? Thanks, Madam Chair.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister of Health and Social Services.

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the compliance and enforcement is primarily directed to the public health orders that are part of the public health emergency. But there is still scope for compliance and enforcement of containment orders, for example, should they be required during future outbreaks. And for more detail on this, I'll turn to Mr. Neudorf if I may, please.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Mr. Neudorf.

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Neudorf

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. So we are as working on winding down of the COVID Secretariat in keeping with the expected timing for ending of the public health emergency. So, you know, on April 1st, we would -- the orders would be dissolved and all of the operations or requirements of the COVID Secretariat would be wrapped up. So we are working this month to work on the orderly transition for that. Some of those activities will occur early into the month of April just so that we can properly wrap things up. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

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Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Okay, thanks. And, you know, I've always supported the COVID Secretariat and I've always understood that it was really -- really a coordination function and a lot of the people that were there were seconded, voluntarily moved around within GNWT, to perform valuable public services. What's the general arrangement for those folks now to be able to go back to their home departments and/or if they were on contract, has all of this stuff been sorted out in some sort of stepwise transition? Thanks, Madam Chair.

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you for the question. The people who were hired at the COVID Secretariat were hired on a short-term basis knowing that this was an interim measure. But for the specific information about how the windup is going and people returning to their home departments, I'd ask, through you Madam Chair, if Mr. Neudorf could answer.