Glen Abernethy

Mr. Speaker, we’re always looking to fill the established positions that we have. We will continue to go out and actively recruit physicians and physician specialists to fill the positions that exist within the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, if it’s a management board we go with, that would make perfect sense. If it’s an advisory board that we go with, it may not make as much sense, but regardless, we will work with the members of the boards that exist and the future boards to make sure that they have the training so they can adequately provide informed direction and decisions within their particular mandates. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in my last response, we need to make some changes to this system. It’s not working. We want to make sure we are getting the input from the people and from the communities and regions. We also know, as the Member has clearly outlined in his Member’s statement, that there are some real challenges. We want to focus on the care of our residents, the individuals. We want to focus on the person. So we do need to do some work. We need to finish that work before we move forward with re-establishing the authority in whichever capacity we move forward in, whether it’s a board...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know the Member knows who the public administrator is. I encourage the Member to talk to the public administrator about maybe participating in some of those tours. I also know that the former Minister of Health and Social Services made a commitment to the Member to go into the community and have a public meeting in Fort Simpson with the entire region and I’m going to live up to that commitment. We’re going to work out the dates. It would likely be after the public administrator has finished his tour, but I look forward to coming to your community and having the...

I would certainly like to sit down with the Member and have that conversation. We do have a hiring practice and procedures that we utilize here in the Government of the Northwest Territories and our authorities. The public administrator will play a key role in the recruitment and retention of a CEO for that health authority. I look forward to having discussions with both the public administrator and the Member on how we’re going to move forward with that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think I was pretty clear on that last week. I plan on working with committee as we move forward on major initiatives within the Department of Health and Social Services over the next two years. This is a consensus government. We need to be partners and we need to work together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Youth addictions prevention promotion activities are key factors in addressing mental health and addictions in the Northwest Territories. This is, once again, outlined in a Shared Path Towards Wellness, A Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan 2012-2015. Within that are a number of current projects that are ongoing which include training of health and social services authorities staff to use early intervention screening tools and counselling techniques to more effectively identify and support youth in dealing with their addictions and/or mental health issues.

Also, the project that the Member...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Wednesday, November 6, 2013, I will move that Bill 4, Health Information Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. I’ve already said I’ll get that information for the Member and I will. I will provide it to the Member and committee in due course. Thank you.

I’ll certainly get myself briefed. I’ll work with the department, I’ll share the information with committee, and we will work as a consensus government to decide how to move forward on this issue.