Alfred Moses

Yes, just continuing on. Would the Minister be looking at creating a specific program on translation, in terms of medical terminology, that would either help support, maybe, our community health representatives who are probably some of our longest-standing employees in the Health and Social Services system? Would he be looking at possibly creating that program with the medical terminology, and make it part of either that program or some other program that local nurses could take, so that they can provide those services to our patients, especially the patients who don’t speak English?

Thank you, Madam Chair. In terms of directorate here, I’m just looking at the policy communications and legislation. I just want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services if there is a plan in place to create a translator program within the regional health centres to bring some of our patients from small communities into the regional hospital or even territorial hospital. If there is a translator program in place for all the Aboriginal languages in the Northwest Territories, ones that are specific to that region, Can the Minister please answer that?

Thank you. The Minister just mentioned that he knows enough in the report to move forward on what the report is saying. The report is saying we need a community-based midwifery report. I mean, if he knows enough to move forward on that, why aren’t we doing that and we’re going into consultation where the consultation is all done in this report? So it really makes me wonder about that.

Can the Minister kind of confirm why dollars are being spent in regulations and standards when our previous Minister of Health has this signed off on the standards of practice for registered midwives? Can the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services following up on my Member’s statement with what residents have been asking for, and one in particular is with the Midwifery Program and dollars that are being allocated for this program here that was a suggestion brought forth by Members of the Assembly. I’m just wondering what the intention of dollars that are being allocated for this Midwifery Program, where they are going to be allocated and what the intention is of those dollars. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we’re proceeding into the budget dialogue process, I’d like to refer back to the budget dialogue report that the Minister of Finance and his little tour that he went on through the Northwest Territories listening to our residents. Actually, I want to focus on three main areas that were discussed and addressed under the Health portfolio.

I won’t get into some of the detailed comments that my colleague went into earlier, but one was the investment in treatment programs and for mental illness, something that this side of the House has been fighting for ever since we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a few questions here. Does the Minister know if the last review from the PRO did not address those or go to the same stakeholders? Whose decision was it to go and review this inclusive schooling again? Who made that decision to review a program that has already been reviewed previously? Who made that decision? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I’m glad to hear that he did see the report, possibly. I didn’t really get a concrete answer there, but he did mention PTR and inclusive schooling.

In terms of recommendations, what is his department doing to address those recommendations made from the program review office which is supposed to make our programs and services in the Government of the Northwest Territories more efficient and more effective in spending our dollars? What is the department doing to act on the recommendations from the program review office that he said his office has received? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to take the opportunity to welcome the president of the Gwich’in Tribal Council, Mr. Robert Alexie Jr., as well as the chief operating officer, Mr. Fred Koe. Welcome, enjoy the proceedings. I’d also like to make a special welcome to Gayla Meredith, the president of the NWTTA. It is Education Week and I hope the campaign and everything is going great this week.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just before I continue on, I guess I’ll take a couple different focuses here.

In terms of Health and Social Services, I know it is our biggest budget that does pose a lot of challenges that I’ve seen being in the health and social services field for many years. We have to continue to try to combat these challenges at the same time as trying to find ways we can invest in projects, programs and services that will cut down the costs and care and treatment that we so easily look at funding rather than looking at areas where we can start doing the prevention, promotion...

Mr. Speaker, I’m glad that the Minister mentioned that he’s reviewing the inclusive schooling again, because that is something that I heard on the radio and I heard it brought up many times yesterday during question period. Was the review process from the Executive not sufficient enough to move forward in the program review office that this department has to do a second review and spend dollars to review this program again when the program review office has already reviewed it and brought recommendations forward? Can he justify why they’re reviewing a program that has already been reviewed...