Glen Abernethy

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following documents entitled "Follow-up Letter to Oral Question 693-18(3), Positive Feedback for Health and Social Services." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The issue was ordered on May 17th. I will confirm with the department what the deadline on that order is.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On April 10th the Chief Public Health Officer did make an order for the owner to do an environmental assessment on the building, to determine the things that the Member has identified. At the time, we were comfortable knowing that there was limited access to the building, because the Fire Marshal and the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission also had some orders. They were in care and control of the building, which would limit access.

Mr. Speaker, on May 14th, when the orders from the WSCC and the Fire Marshal were concluded, we had an opportunity to get into the...

It's my understanding that the FTP working group is intended to be a forward-looking body that will examine ways of embedding cultural safety and humility into the design and delivery of healthcare services throughout the country. They intend to share information about initiatives and promising practice under way across the country, which is one of the reasons we are sharing the work that we have done. It's also intended to identify opportunities for collaboration between provinces, territories, and other bodies.

To date, Mr. Speaker, a draft terms of reference has been developed by the working...

I am a firm believer that we need to recruit and retain local people for local work. To that end, with respect to the promotion of social workers as a career or a profession, we do have a staffing initiative underway, focusing on the retention and recruitment of social workers in the North, activities to encourage youth to choose a career in a health and social services profession, and include things like promotion of health and social services careers during our community living fairs. It is a great opportunity to get into the communities and talk to people about health, wellness, social...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department is providing some funding support to celebrate Social Work Month to all the different health and social services authorities and regional offices here in the Northwest Territories. There are a number of different things that we are doing, and I will just list a couple of the activities rather than going through the comprehensive list. There is a public screening of the National Film Board's film, "We Can't Make the Same Mistakes Twice." It is a very thought-provoking and inspirational film that follows a story of one extraordinary social worker. A health...

Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to speak about foster care and the important role of Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories has played, and will continue to play, in partnering with Child and Family Services to improve recruitment, training, and support for foster families.

Foster families perform a vital service to children that must be placed in care. I want to recognize and thank all foster families from across this territory for the valuable support they provide to our children and youth.

Mr. Speaker, for the past several years, the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest...

That does help, and I do like to answer questions, but before I get into some of the work that still needs to be done, I do want to point out that there is no territorial law or regulation that prohibits the practise of cremation here in the Northwest Territories. The Member did move a private Member's bill which, actually, will help strengthen some of the regulations around the public health aspect of providing crematorium services here in the Northwest Territories, but, as we took a deeper dive into this, it became clear that Health and Social Services doesn't need to do anything, or change...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department is still doing the work on their portion of the regulations under the Public Health Act. I have provided direction to the department. I have indicated that I'd like to see the regulations of Health and Social Services under the Public Health Act done within the life of this government. I have been given assurances that, barring any unforeseen crisis or challenges, that work will be done in the life of this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I feel like this question goes to the very heart of the work that we are doing around cultural safety to make sure that all interactions with healthcare providers are done in a respectful way and recognize both the individual biases that an individual might have, but also the cultural realities that exist within their communities and many of their clients. As part of our work on culture safety, the department is working on piloting different training that encourages healthcare providers to actually reflect on their own experiences and how their own biases may affect the views of individuals in...