Glen Abernethy

The staff that we have doing this is the same staff that are doing things like the medical travel review and a number of other things, so it’s a little down the list. They’ve started doing the work, but my direction to them was to complete the review, package it up so that I can explain it, and it can be explained to everybody within this fiscal year.

Thank you, Madam Chair. As I’ve already indicated, I’m prepared to commit to a public reporting of these indicators. However, the level of detail may not be appropriate for the format that we’re using for our business planning, but we will consider how best to do the public reporting.

Mr. Speaker, I’m certainly happy to sit down with the Minister and have that conversation, but I’d like to encourage the Member to maybe join us. It is an issue that the Member has brought forward and I think it might be better for the Member to hear it from the Minister himself. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, every day, seniors across the NWT make important contributions to their families, their friends and their communities.

We don’t always give them the credit they deserve, but recognizing June as Seniors Month in the Northwest Territories and June 15th as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is one way to show our appreciation to NWT seniors.

Today we are wearing purple boutonnieres to raise awareness about elder abuse and its many forms, financial, emotional and physical. I would like to welcome and recognize members of the NWT Seniors’ Society and the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society present...

Mr. Speaker, all employees of the GNWT currently have access to our Cultural Awareness Training program offered through HR, which does include history, treaties, and a significant amount of information to help all employees understand all people of the Northwest Territories.

But I hear the Member; it’s certainly an interesting point and I will explore it. I don’t know if it’s possible, but it is an interesting idea and I would like to follow up on it and I will follow up with the Member.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Contribution agreements already require the health and social services authorities to comply with applicable laws and policies and that every payment is conditional of the fulfillment of the authority’s obligations under their agreements.

This clause, I feel, is specific enough to cover what the committee is asking for in the committee’s proposal, but obviously more is needed. What is needed is better enforcement and better monitoring. I’m concerned, or rather, realistically, withholding funding from an authority is not necessarily the answer. My focus and the department’s...

Having the data would obviously help us make better decisions with respect to the safety and well-being of our residents when they are in southern facilities. I don’t know the cost of a survey like this, but it’s certainly a good idea and I will talk to the department to check the feasibility of doing something like that, recognizing that we are a little tight on finances right now but I like the idea of having the information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The action plan will be public and it will include details on actions as well as providing some time frames. Performance reporting will also be public for anybody who wants to look at it. I can commit to updating the action plan with progress reports on a regular basis. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

We do have a contract with the facilities in locations like Edmonton who are providing housing and support to our residents who are down in Edmonton for medical appointments and/or treatment. These individuals help get people to and from appointments and whatnot.

If there’s an incident within the facility, they are bound under the contract to update the department. I don’t have a direct link and conversation with those organizations, but I can be updated by the department as necessary. For the most part, the department will deal with it directly as an administrative or contractual issue.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. With respect to recommendation number six, I agree that all these indicators obviously require more improvement and improved monitoring. I would be happy to sit down with the Standing Committee on Social Programs to identify some appropriate formats and timing that would work for them and the department so that we can continue to provide these updates.