Julie Green

Abstain.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to update Members on the work being done to recruit and retain health and social services staff in the Northwest Territories. This work responds to the mandate commitment of the 19th Legislative Assembly to increase the number of resident healthcare professionals by at least 20 percent.

The recruitment and retention of health and social services professionals has become increasingly high profile over the past year, as the COVID19 pandemic has made shortages of health and social services personnel across Canada worse. The department has...

In favour.

In favour.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Member for Deh Cho for the question.

Just by way of background, the Child and Family Services Act came into force in 1998, and it has a provision to be reviewed every five years, and it is being reviewed this year.

The purpose of the act is, and will continue to be, to ensure that the best interests of the child are taken care of. What has changed is that there is more of a focus now on prevention rather than protection. So protection is still present, but prevention needs to be exhausted first.

So there are opportunities for counselling, parenting...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am here to present Bill 40, An Act to Amend the Medical Profession Act. The purpose of this bill is to allow for regulation of physicians providing virtual care to NWT residents. The use of virtual care has greatly increased, in large part due to the limit of inperson contact and medical travel during the COVID19 pandemic.

We engaged with physicians throughout the development of this bill and have committed to undertake a collaborative approach to physician regulation. We know that this work needs to be informed and supported by these professionals.

I appreciate the...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, medical treatment, as the Member knows, is an insured service under the NWT Health Plan. So anyone with appear at any of the health centres, or at Stanton, and expect to receive a diagnosis and treatment for the condition that they are presenting with. That said, we do not cover drugs on a universal basis. There is no universal PharmaCare here or anywhere else in the country at this point.

There is an understanding at our level, and at the federal level, that there is a need to develop a strategy around specified not specified diseases but...

In favour.

Mr. Speaker, June is Senior Citizens Month, a time for us to acknowledge and celebrate the important role seniors have in our families and communities.

Seniors teach us about culture, tradition, and history. Their wisdom is integral to making wise decisions that will impact the future of generations of Northerners.

This Legislative Assembly has made a commitment to enable seniors to age in place, with dignity. The Department of Health and Social Services is working with Housing NWT and the Departments of Municipal and Community Affairs, along with Education, Culture and Employment, to ensure...

Yes, thank you. Mr. Speaker, it's my understanding that there is a nurse on call, and so I would suggest that the first call be to the health centre. 911 is available throughout the NWT as an emergency service that can provide links to other emergency services. I think the RCMP are 24/7 as well.

So I think, if I understand the Member correctly, the services that he's referencing are available 24/7, and I would suggest that Members call their local service first, service providers before, trying 911. Thank you.