Great Slave

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 63)

Thank you Mr. Speaker. I wish it was that simple. The bottom line is there is no consistent application of home support workers across the Northwest Territories. We know what numbers exist today, but there has been no standard set as to what every community should have. That is the work we are doing today. Once we know what a standard is, or a baseline is, then we can fix that by putting physicians in.

As I said in Committee of the Whole, it is not just home support care workers, Mr. Chair. We are looking at a different array of programs, family supports, that could be money that we could float...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 63)

During our decisions with Committee of the Whole, I was very clear that we have a significant amount of work to still do. In fact, we talked about the continuing care plan, which is basically going to include our homecare services. I committed to moving that work along as quickly as I could, and, should we reach a point where we are actually ahead of schedule, I indicated that I would be happy to move forward for a supplementary to start rolling out some of these changes. This addition means, basically, I wouldn't have to come forward for a supplementary.

I do believe there are things we can do...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 63)

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Ms. Green on February 15, 2017, regarding the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. More specifically, Mr. Speaker, about the government's role in pharmacy errors.

The department does not have a direct oversight role when a pharmacist makes a dispensing error in a retail pharmacy. The pharmacist's professional ethics and standards of practice will guide how the event is handled.

However, the department does have a role in ensuring that a complaints officer is appointed under the Pharmacy Act to ensure that any person may file a complaint...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 63)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 577-18(2): Prescription Drug Monitoring Program." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 63)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have that number in front of me. Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 63)

As we look forward and we determine what the baseline is, what if Hay River is the baseline? What if that is the appropriate number of physicians? We don't have that answer. Until we have that answer, we don't know that putting physicians in one community over another is actually going to help us meet our needs.

Also, Mr. Speaker, the current plan is about home support workers. That is the way we have provided those services. Maybe it is not. Maybe we should have more homecare nurses. Maybe we should have community support workers. Maybe we should have family support workers. These are...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 63)

As with all program lines, if the dollars are not fully expended, they go back to general revenues.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 63)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the budget stands today, there is $7.954 million in the budget for homecare as part of our core services. This $2.5 million is going to increase that $7.954 million to $10.454 million. Mr. Speaker, there is also $5.358 million that comes from the federal government to provide home and community supports to Indigenous people throughout the Northwest Territories. It's our understanding that the federal government is considering modifying their formula on how those dollars are distributed throughout the Northwest Territories, not decreasing the amount but...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 62)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled “Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 572-18(2): Social Services Facilities in Downtown Yellowknife.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 62)

To be clear, once again, under the Health Information Act the Department of Health and Social Services are required to complete Privacy Impact Assessments before implementing a change to or implementing a new information system or communications technology that involves, and I think this is the key point, the collection, use, or disclosure of personal health information.

Mr. Speaker, we already had EMR in the Northwest Territories and we were rolling it out throughout the Northwest Territories. We did not change that; that was still the same. With the health amalgamation moving to a single...