Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We take this seriously. This is a priority. This is something that we have been working on for some time. I mean it isn't without its investment. We have invested significant new dollars in the day shelter sobering centre to help individuals who are struggling, to make sure that they have a safe place. We have also added programming there that never existed before, which is available to help people find a path to wellness and take advantage of some of the programs and services that we have in place. The 2018-2019 budget for mental health and addictions was $17 million...

Thank you. We are looking at a hub-and-spoke model here to roll out a territorial program, which is consistent with some of the recommendations that were provided. It doesn't mean that births will be facilitated in every community, but where the numbers permit, we are certainly willing to explore growth in those areas. Over time, that may change, so we need to be flexible.

We do know that, in order for a midwife to remain current in her competency, for her licensing purposes, he or she does have to facilitate a certain number of births, but that is not the only job. Right? For a midwife, it is...

No, Mr. Chair. This isn't the appropriate section. That section would be nursing inpatient services.

Mr. Chair, on page 176, there is an increase of about $1.73 million, which is going to the combined day shelter/sobering centre. That is a new ask. That is new money to help provide the range of services that we are providing in the sobering centre.

The money that the Member is referring to on the other page, there is $1 million for the anti-poverty, and then $150,000. $75,000 goes to Inuvik; $75,000 goes towards the day shelter here in Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 32, Naturopathic Profession Statutes Amendment Act, be read for the third time, and Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to addressing health inequities experienced by our residents. In October of last year I provided information on the Department of Health and Social Services' plans to move forward with our cultural safety and relationship-based care approach, and today I am pleased to advise that the 2018-2020 Caring for Our People: Cultural Safety Action Plan will be tabled later today.

Research shows that Indigenous peoples experience a disproportionate amount of negative health and social outcomes in comparison to non-Indigenous people. It is our responsibility as a...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Some of it is what we just talked about, but, for the most part at this point in time, we are planning to use existing and our own resources to fund some of the activities that we want to undertake in this particular area. From there, we will be able to determine what additional asks and what additional business cases are going to be necessary to seek additional funding, if appropriate. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There are a number of increases in this area. It's not all midwifery services. Some of it is some additional positions in intensive care, long-term care, and medical-surgical nursing to help implement Stanton and a few other things. There is $373,000 in here for midwifery program expansion, to help us move forward with the territorial midwifery program. It's a couple of different midwifery positions in Yellowknife and Hay River. Maybe I will go to the deputy minister, who can go through in greater detail exactly where those investments are to help us move forward with the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. No, that would be in diagnostic and therapeutic services, not in ambulatory care. Before we go on, though, I'd just like to point out that, throughout this budget, I think it's important to recognize that there are multiple areas within this budget where you'll see increases that are directly related to Stanton, the growth at Stanton and opening the new facility. For instance, on this page, it's under "Emergency Services." We have four new RN's in the Stanton emergency. I just want to make it clear that, although we talked about in the previous section, it will be through...

Absolutely, Mr. Chair. I am hoping to come to committee with Avens, hopefully during this sitting. I think we have a request to meet with the committee during this sitting. We just need to make sure that, when we come in, we have some of those policy questions figured out. That is what we are working on right now with Avens. My intention is to do it in this sitting, probably towards the end of this sitting, and do it in cooperation with Avens.