Glen Abernethy

As I’ve indicated previously, there are large disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people across Canada. The reported health outcomes in the report are partially due to the proportionately larger Aboriginal population that we have in the Northwest Territories. The health outcomes are measured using assessment tools for health outcomes, not health care systems. Mr. Speaker, we are not challenging these results, but we are taking them in the intended from which they were provided. They were to provide us with an opportunity and tools to help improve our system. We are addressing the...

We already work with the other two territories on a number of initiatives. I had a conversation with the two Ministers last week and we’ve agreed to get together and have a tri-territorial meeting later this spring to discuss other areas where we can work together to improve the wellness and health outcomes of residents of the Northwest Territories.

Once again, to be clear, health outcomes are measured using 10 indicators that evaluate health outcomes, not health care systems. We are making improvements to the provision of health and social services here in the Northwest Territories. We’re moving forward with the health transformation with a focus on all residents of the Northwest Territories.

I just want to point out that the report from the Conference Board of Canada provided several recommendations for the NWT to improve health outcomes such as using a tailored approach including Aboriginal traditional knowledge and health policy...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don’t have too much to add. These are very similar questions that were asked during oral questions last week by the other Member for Hay River, Jane Groenewegen. We do an assessment of an individual biannually, so two times a year we’ll do individual assessments to determine if there is an opportunity to bring them back and what the current status is. Where we have an opportunity to repatriate, we do.

I also had an opportunity, during the previous budget session, to indicate that we are going to have our territorial services take a look at all the individuals down south...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Moving forward with health transformation, we want to bring the Hay River Health and Social Services into the public service. The Department of Health and the Department of Human Resources have been given the mandate by Cabinet to enter into negotiations with the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, the UNW as well as superann to figure out how we can move forward with that to actually make that happen, recognizing the potential costs, articulating, determining what those costs might be so that we can bring it back to the House. The work is beginning this year...

We are not challenging the Conference Board of Canada’s assessment of D minus for health outcomes here in the Northwest Territories. We acknowledge that the health outcomes for our Aboriginal people are less than our other residents in the Northwest Territories. This isn’t something that we’ve been hiding. Members in the House have been very clear about the challenges they see in their communities. We’ve been working with Members and we will continue to work with the Aboriginal governments. We have made improvements such as the Aboriginal health and community wellness division which is working...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the intents or purposes of the Conference Board of Canada’s How Canada Performs report is to provide decision-makers with tools and assessments they can use to help improve their system. We are going to take these recommendations that have been provided by the Conference Board of Canada to help improve the system. As I’ve already indicated to the Member and to the House, we are doing a number of things here to improve the results for Aboriginal people as well as all people in the Northwest Territories. We will continue to work with our Aboriginal partners, our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Member’s point of view and his concerns. Absolutely, as a government we’re committed to working with our communities and finding solutions that work for all people, but I do also have to remind the Member, as well as everybody else in the House, that we do have 33 communities, we do have fiscal limitations with what we can do and it might prove to be fiscally impossible to have individual women’s shelters in every community in the Northwest Territories. But working with the communities, finding solutions within the communities, by the communities, for...

We have five different regional shelters that are available to women and I know the RCMP are working closely with communities to try to find solutions that work with them. I’m happy to have a discussion with the community to hear their concerns and their desires and bring it back to Cabinet and committees. Thank you.

I support the extended family fosters. I support grandparents becoming foster parents when there is a risk of abuse or neglect within a family. But there are situations where families are making choices regardless of whether there’s risk of neglect or abuse. I want to find ways to support and we are working, but we do need to be cautious. Paying some grandparents to look after grandchildren when there is no risk of abuse or neglect would open the door for all grandparents to expect payment when they agree to look after their grandchildren. We need to ensure that we’re focusing on grandparents...