Julie Green

Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the cultural safety division of the department, which is called community, culture and innovation has a mandate to help with all programs and services to ensure that they are culturally safe and antiracist. So that would be in place in any initiatives that are put in place. At this point, the asks are, I'm going to say, primarily processoriented with a view to collecting better data so that we know and we have a better idea of what the outcomes are, and we're certainly committed to doing that work. We want to be able to show that what we're doing...

Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the intention is to look at individual income at this point. But what I want to stress is that this is not a program at this point. It's a discussion. We have provided four months worth of public consultation, and that now extends until November the 23rd. There are many ways to participate, including a town hall that will take place in mid November with more information to come. So if people feel that there should be a different way of calculating income, that it should be household income or some other form, then certainly that input is welcome...

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I appreciate the question. The data was arrived at using income figures supplied by the NWT Bureau of Statistics. The target group for this initiative is people who don't have any insurance of any kind, so the examples were geared towards a lower income threshold. However, there is now a tool on the site which people can enter their income into, and they will find out what level of copay they will be required, if any. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this is a very important role, and I appreciate the Member's efforts to do this work as well, for his constituents. I don't see reason that the medical social worker would not go and see people where they are, but I'm not familiar with their work flow, but it makes sense that it would be broader than just having people attend the health centre or the building that flooded downtown in order to obtain services. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you for the question. NTHSSA offers adult services which is social work services for people who are not children or youth, often people who are street involved. That position does not exist at the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority right now. I think there are some of the staff in the authority who are assisting people who need these services off the side of their desk, so not a proper medical social worker position. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I can provide that information.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the work plan hasn't yet been approved so I don't have a budget for it. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I have not directly consulted elders on any of these initiatives. As I say, they're not really new program initiatives. They're important things, but not necessarily the kind of things we would consult on, like disaggregating data. So we have regular meetings with the Indigenous governments through bilateral conversations and also through the NWT Council of Leaders. There are elders sometimes there. Certainly the Indigenous governments come with questions for health and questions about addictions, and we do our best to work with them and meet them...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, we have not yet heard back from the Standing Committee on the Office of the Auditor General's Report on addictions and aftercare treatment. So that report has not yet been tabled. But I will say, of course, we have accepted all the recommendations. The committee is considering a work plan attached to that. It does not, to the best of my knowledge, anticipate that we are going to disband the Indigenous Advisory Council, which now works with NTHSSA or that we would replace them with Indigenous governments. If I understand the question correctly, we are...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I don't have that information with me.