Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as Members of the Legislative Assembly, it is our responsibility to act as our constituents' advocates, and though we spend most of our time here working on the bigger picture, we recognize that when policies and processes fail, intervention into individual circumstances is necessary. We are our constituents' last resort but when it comes to working with medical travel, increasingly MLAs are becoming Northerners' only option. Medical travel's inadequacies are becoming so severe that it's consuming much of our constituency work, and this is clear the system is not working for our people.

I was hopeful earlier this year when I brought concerns forward of medical travel's inability to provide quality health care to my constituents. This failure has created severe financial burden on working families in my riding, caused them a great deal of stress, and deprived them of access to health care that they need. Initially, the Minister gave me a path forward to rectify the situation. We were asked to work with physicians who initially treated these constituents --

(audio).

Okay. We were asked to -- who initially treated these constituents in Alberta to provide updated paperwork which would supposedly ensure a reimbursement would be forthcoming. Unfortunately, the reimbursements health and social services offered amount to far below what the families spent cumulatively on hotels, flights, and meals there.

I was informed later that offering these families any reimbursement at all was an error. The Minister explained that she would only honour these meager reimbursements for one family only because they could not take back -- the department could not take back the assurances they gave the family first while I provided the necessary paperwork. None of the other families I'm working with in my riding will see any reimbursements at all.

Mr. Speaker, I'm dismayed to hear that what the Minister told me in the previous session was a mistake. Upholding the public nature of our health care services is not a mistake. Ensuring patients and their families are not put through additional distress when dealing with life threatening illnesses is not a mistake. Allowing patients who are incapacitated an escort who can understand a plan of care for their loved ones is not a mistake. Northerners want to see us work with them in -- work for them in this Assembly. So what does it say about our health care system when even their MLAs cannot help them? Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister about how we can fix our broken medical travel system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I care deeply about the public service as a past public servant and active local union president. I also recognize that the public service makes up a lot of the working population of this territory. And, yes, the numbers of total GNWT staff have gone up dramatically in recent years. The increase incurs in critical functions that we all rely on like health care and education supports. But the other thing we don't talk about as much is that through collective bargaining, people in precarious employment terms or casuals were made permanent. The increase reflects employees that were given the security and benefits of permanent employment through collective bargaining. Those greater numbers of employees were always there. We just started treating them more fairly.

Compensation and benefits can be excellent, but if a work culture is failing to support its workers they won't want to stay on. We've seen this in health care most acutely. I'm afraid the frustration and malaise has spread to all parts of the public service.

This past July, the results of the 2023 Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey were released, and employees have said quite clearly throughout all metrics that they are less satisfied with their jobs as compared to 2021.

I speak regularly to the president of the UNW, and she tells me that employee morale is at rock bottom. Members are telling the UNW leadership that they are stressed to hear their employer constantly talk about ways to save money. Unfilled positions are being cut while operational bottlenecks are not being addressed. Usually after a collective agreement is ratified, Members feel a bit of positivity but the UNW is not hearing much of that right now. Unionized employees tell their leadership that they are still stressed about finances while at the same time feeling like an axe is sitting above their heads.

When I was involved with the union, I heard from folks across the GNWT who said that they felt stuck within a hierarchy that expected unthinking loyalty and did not reward creativity. I have heard my colleague from Frame Lake speak many times about looking to ways that we might flatten those hierarchies and have more program staff feel supported to propose new ideas or more effective ways of providing programs and services without getting shut down or shut out. I think the public service is full of creative people in all parts of this territory who want to feel vital and valued.

Mr. Speaker, I've spoken to the Minister of Finance about this very issue for many years predating my time as an MLA. Seen through the lens of possibility, the 2023 survey reenforces many of my hopes for the public service that we should be creating opportunities for staff to grow and feel excited to get to do trailblazing work while being supported through mentorship options that will enable them to get to their and the GNWT's goals.

The best managers I had in the public service treated me as a respected part of a team where everyone's input had value and was discussed openly. If we want to build a positive GNWT culture, we need to infuse that culture with cooperation and support within our workforce as well as for those whom we serve. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Finance at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on a heartwarming note to end the week, I'd like to shine a spotlight on the transformative work that the NWT Literacy Council has been doing in communities across the territory. Their program Reading Together provides opportunities for fathers who are incarcerated to connect with their children through bedtime stories. They get to choose a book that their children would like, create a reading kit to send to their kids, including new pajamas, stuffies, and a toothbrush, and then the dad gets to make a recording of him reading the book and sending bedtime wishes. This program, with the help of the North Slave Correctional Centre, is strengthening language skills and literacy for both children and fathers in a powerful way. It bridges the physical distance separating families while nurturing the special emotional bond that is forged during bedtime story time.

Another innovative NWT Literacy Council program launched earlier this year is called Early Words. It's a partnership with the Department of Health and Social Services, along with the Canadian Children's Literacy Foundation and the Canadian Pediatrics Society. Early Words was actually created by a speech-language pathologist, and it recognizes that the foundation for literacy starts right from birth. It helps train frontline health care providers in how best to support families with early language and brain development long before a child reaches junior kindergarten.

The program has been piloted in Inuvik and Tsiigehtchic and has involved elders and traditional knowledge experts to understand how best to support early language development. The program also provides culturally appropriate books to health centres that are distributed to families and oriented to children at specific ages and stages of development. The funding for the literacy council's involvement in the Early Words project ends next March 2025 but the intention, I understand, is for HSS to carry on supporting early language development with the tools and resources provided through the project.

Now, I know that our health system has some tough work ahead to identify core and noncore services in order to make our system more sustainable, but I truly hope that this kind of program is viewed as core because of its crucial role in building our economic and social foundations. Mr. Speaker, these Literacy Council programs are critical to set the stage for future lifelong learning, and I commend them on their work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to draw attention to the difficulty small businesses encounter when dealing with the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, owning and operating a small business in this the Northwest Territories is no easy feat. Overhead costs are high, there are extreme labour shortages, and ongoing recovery from disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change impacts are very real scenarios. With these challenges, what these small businesses can do without is administrative burden that impedes their entrepreneurship.

Mr. Speaker, constituents in my riding have relayed the following examples to me highlighting their experience dealing with the Government of the Northwest Territories: .

• It took 350 days to secure approval for road signage from the Department of Infrastructure, signage aimed at helping visitors arriving in Inuvik.
• Local suppliers are being disqualified in the request for proposal process due to unrealistic requirements.
• Having to wait 200-plus days to receive a response on an application for the ECE work subsidy program.
• A broad and vague application of the market disruption clause in the ITI SEED program.

These are but a few examples, Mr. Speaker, and they hit on various departments across the GNWT.

Mr. Speaker, if we were serious about building a strong economic foundation and supporting businesses in the Northwest Territories, we need to alleviate pressures on entrepreneurs. The Government of the Northwest Territories shouldn't be a roadblock or barrier to running a business. What is being done to improve this situation by way of revising policies, Mr. Speaker, streamlining processes and ensuring that service standards are met?

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories red tape reduction working group was created in November 2020 to encourage entrepreneurship by reducing red tape and regulatory burdens on small businesses. I would like to get a sense on what this working group is doing to reduce red tape and the burdens facing small businesses, Mr. Speaker. I would have questions for the Minister of Finance. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Members' statements. Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In March and April of this year, the residents of the Beaufort Delta region were advised that they may have been exposed to an infection. The following communities and some of its residents may have been exposed:

• Aklavik,
• Fort McPherson,
• Paulatuk,
• Sachs Harbour, and
• Ulukhaktok.

Residents from the noted communities were advised that if they were patients at one of these health centres that they were to get tested for HEP C, HEP B, or HIV. Dr. Kondola, the NWT chief public health officer, stated that the possibility of contracting the infection is very low; getting tested is the best thing to do.

Mr. Speaker, the possible infection may have come from dental instruments that were not properly cleaned, disinfected, or sterilized. In this day and age, how is something as serious as this supposed to happen? We have all the new technologies at our disposable, and our small communities are still being neglected. Our small remote communities need the same care as the regional centres and the capital.

Mr. Speaker, I know the Department of Health and Social Services is trying to accommodate the residents of these communities with their dental needs. It seems the patients from the Beaufort Delta region are losing out on appointments and being comfortably accommodated. The residents who travel to Yellowknife do not arrive until late in the afternoon, at times miss their appointments and are placed in hotels that is not meeting their expectations.

Mr. Speaker, it is time that this government start to look out for the basic needs of our residents, the Northwest Territories, especially smaller remote communities. The health and well-being of these patients is very important to these smaller communities. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Members' statements. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I will be speaking about the drug crisis in our territory.

Mr. Speaker, there are drugs in our opportunities that have not been seen before such as the new types of fentanyl. Ambulances and first responders need to be prepared. We all know illegal drugs are causing chaos and affecting safe housing. I am worried that in areas where there is a lot of drug use happening, our most vulnerable residents will not get the support they need.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard that public advisories have been issued related to the detection of certain drugs. The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer has released alerts about overdose related deaths. The Premier has also spoken about introducing legislation to target criminal networks, which is essential, and I look forward to seeing it. But I see an even more pressing need that should be addressed now.

Mr. Speaker, our ambulance services and first responders must act quickly and enter areas where most people do not want to go - low income neighbourhoods, encampments, vacant apartments, and shelters.

Overdoses are on the rise. First response in these situations requires immediate intervention. One such solution is the use of naloxone to reverse opoid overdose. Media releases from the department of health remind residents that naloxone kits are available at hospitals, health centres, and pharmacies. They say drug users should be familiar with these kits and have them on hand. But, Mr. Speaker, the availability of these kits in health centres is not enough. Widespread distribution within our communities needs to be ensured. All our residents need access to paramedics or properly trained first responders --

Member from Monfwi, your time is up.

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of MACA.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Members' statements. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my statement is on the Tulita Health Centre that's currently under construction, a very unique design building located in the central part of the community. However, the project has encountered numerous delays, and today we're proud to say it's got a deadline for completion.

The 18th Assembly approved this capital project some five years ago. After COVID delays, recent barging delays due to low water levels, constant delays have faced this project from moving ahead. I was proud to escort the Minister of ECC and the Minister of Health and Social Services there during the week of July -- or pardon me, September the 23rd. Another delay happened where we couldn't make the trip in to Tulita to see the building and the residents as well because of bad weather. However, with deteriorating materials as we move along, the project is now at the very foot of a schedule that's going to see completion within the next couple of years.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very essential building and, as I mentioned, one long overdue, and despite the fact of challenges I'm proud to say, underneath this new administration or this new leadership we're going to see the light of day. Later I will have questions to the appropriate Minister. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last night the Premier and health Minister presented to the Standing Committee on Social Development on their new health system sustainability unit. I want to be clear that I commend the Premier for taking this action and support this initiative.

Mr. Speaker, I also wanted to get some comments on the record about this initiative. I heard staff saying they're not just looking at reducing service but repeatedly referring back to the core services inventory, so it really seemed to me like services are currently the focus and appreciated the Premier's reassurance in that regard and just wanted to, again, get my comments on the record that I want us to look a little deeper.

Mr. Speaker, in March, the territorial medical association sent a letter to the Minister of health titled Restoring Balance with a number of recommendations for improving system sustainability. Those recommendations included reducing unnecessary medical travel, reducing inefficient administrative tasks, workforce planning, and optimizing partnerships for quality improvement. So there are a lot of changes aside from just service reductions that we can look at, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the NWTMA advocated for reevaluation of the health system's leadership model. This included the following recommendations which are particularly relevant to assessing the current management structures. They recommended that we analyze the efficiency of the current administrative model, including identifying and reducing any duplication of management positions between health and social services and NTHSSA and supporting a distributed leadership model that encourages problem solving close to the source rather than top down decision-making.

Mr. Speaker, when we talk about system sustainability, we need to be talking about the management and staff retention concerns Members have been detailing repeatedly in the House this sitting and have pointedly emphasized in our accountability and oversight committee report read into the record yesterday.

Mr. Speaker, I stand by that report and support and encourage the Minister to take bold and decisive action to address these issues. As a start, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to see a public acknowledgement by the Minister of the significant systemic issues facing our health care system and public communication of a comprehensive plan to address them. Mr. Speaker, the principles of good leadership and management tell us that listening to frontline staff is key to effective decision-making. Let's listen to our doctors' and nurses' suggestions and carefully consider them in reviewing health care system sustainability. Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the system sustainability unit needs to rate options based on potential savings level of impact and ease of implementation, and I can't overemphasize enough the need to use change management principles and comprehensive planning when changes are proposed. We have to plan out our changes carefully to ensure effective implementation. Mr. Speaker, we are in this together. I know the health Minister wants to see change. I know MLAs want to see change. And staff want to see change. Let's get it done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member from Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about trauma and substance abuse problems of which is -- trauma is a priority of this government. Here in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, especially in our small communities, we see intergenerational trauma and its impacts. Broadly, intergenerational trauma can be caused by a variety of different factors including removal of -- removal from homelands, genocide, sexual or gender violence, institutionalized and direct racism, incarceration, and exploitation.

We are all aware of the legacy of the residential school systems in the NWT. The tragic effects of these are still visible today and have led to trauma that is passed on through generations.

Mr. Speaker, many of those who went to residential schools turn to substance abuse as a way of coping. We know from government data that rates were alcohol abuse are high in the Northwest Territories. According to a 2023 report from the NWT statistics bureau, 72.3 percent of current drinkers in the Deh Cho riding are classified as heavy drinkers.

Mr. Speaker, we hear about the youth in Fort Smith this morning on CBC radio. This is also happening in our communities. Addictions destroy families. There is a strong link between trauma and addictions. Intergenerational trauma is alive and well from the government's decades of abuse of our people. I would like to know what our government is doing to address this problem. What opportunities are in place for healing for our people? I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements.