Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In September, to mark Men’s Cancer Awareness Month, the department launched an awareness campaign to help raise awareness on different cancers affecting men. The campaign launched with a press conference that was held on September 24th with local cancer survivors sharing their stories. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Patrick Scott and Mr. Walt Humphries for sharing their stories as part of that awareness campaign.

The awareness campaign also includes a number of ads you will see in the newspaper to encourage people to get checkups on a regular basis. The...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 36, Health and Social Services Professions Act, be read for the first time.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources are hosting a workshop this week for the potential for increasing support and resources to on-the-land programs. I would like to recognize some the presenters at that workshop who are in the House today. Representing the British Columbia First Nations Fund: Valine Crist, Jessica Housty and Kim Hardy; and representing Australia’s Working Group on Country Program: Steve Roeger, Daryl Lacey, Bruce Rose, Patrick O’Leary. I’d also like to recognize Steve Ellis, Tides Canada’s...

Yes. The answer is yes. That is the act that is current; that is the act that is in place. In my opinion, it is old, outdated and badly needs to be revised. I have listened to Members, and many of them have said exactly the same thing. I’ve had opportunities to talk to professionals who are involved in providing services. Almost all of them say exactly the same thing. We recently got the LP back from committee and we are now moving forward with drafting. It is a big bill, basically a full rewrite. But until that bill passes in this Assembly, we have to use the old bill. Thank you.

Thank you. Through our Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan we have contracts with four facilities to provide alcohol and drug treatment services in southern Canada. We’re looking at a mobile treatment program and we’re working with communities to deliver on-the-land programming. We also have 64 counsellor positions located throughout the Northwest Territories in 19 communities. On top of that, we’re doing things like the assist training. Something that I think could add significant value to all residents is the Mental Health First Aid. So there are a number of things that are occurring...

The department has actually donated the tents that were used for this youth on-the-land healing program to the Liidlii Kue First Nations to support the community in doing other programs that they’d like to deliver at this site. We’ve also helped them clear the site and set it up so that it could be used for future functions. Now, it is their site, it is their location, they do have the tents, so they can use that location, and I actually expect that they will use that location for many different healing opportunities.

We do have an agreement with them that if we wish to run a healing type...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Member for that question. I did have an opportunity to attend the first graduation. I spent about 10 or 15 minutes talking to each of the kids about their experience and what they got out of the experience.

The department is currently evaluating the lessons learned from that pilot program, which is actually going to help us articulate and identify how we can move forward with similar youth-based online programs in the future. So we’re in the middle of that assessment now. When that information is compiled, I’d be happy to have further discussions with...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Prior to becoming an MLA I worked in Human Resources within the Government of the Northwest Territories for almost 13 years and in that time I participated in many staffing actions. I was the lead staffing officer on many staffing actions. I worked on many, many labour relations issues and I worked on a number of duty to accommodate issues.

This legislation that is before you is dealing with individuals where we have a duty and a legal obligation to accommodate employees who have either been laid off or have medical issues, that we have to work with them to find a way to...

Thank you. The department and the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services are aware of the high rates of suicide in the Beaufort-Delta. The authority in that area has been working really closely with Aboriginal governments and communities and individuals to try and find meaningful ways to assist and help, which includes getting the information and increasing access to counsellors. There are counsellors that are non-government counsellors or non-government support and we’re trying to make sure that people are aware of them.

One thing I would like to ask the Member and all Members is to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was a review done that sort of provided an analysis of the last 15 years and this review actually included a number of recommendations and information provided by the NWT coroner. Some of the key findings of this report were that, overall, suicide rates are decreasing over time, but that’s not true everywhere in the Northwest Territories. We know in the Beaufort-Delta the rates continue to be incredibly high and that suicide remains a critical public health issue in that area. We do know that alcohol and drugs are a common risk factor, but there are multiple...