Julie Green

Yes, thank you. I don't know what's involved in commissioning but there is a sixmonth period allocated for it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 31, An Act to amend the Pharmacy Act be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Pharmacy Act to add a definition of "unscheduled substance"; allow a person to sell an unscheduled substance from any retail outlet if certain conditions are met; require a person who sells a prescribed unscheduled substance by retail, or who supplies or distributes such a substance, to meet certain conditions when selling, supplying, or distributing the substance; establish regulation making authorities...

Yes, thank you. Just to clarify, Mr. Speaker, the reason Health and Social Services is involved in this conversation is that pandemic response money has been funding the Spruce Bough up to this point, and we have a commitment of that money until the end of September. When it comes to working with entities like the Housing Corporation and the CMHC, then the Spruce Bough will need to do that. They don't need the Health and Social Services as an intermediary. So, really, that  it all depends on the course of the pandemic in terms of this shortterm funding. The funding was provided in order to...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have a dollar amount but it is true that the funding that was extended to the Spruce Bough during the pandemic continues until September the 30th of this year, at which point we're hoping that the transition to stable and longterm funding from a variety of sources will be solidified. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are taking a whole of government approach to seniors aging because it cuts across many different departments. And one of the things that we're working on together is an elders strategy which will look in more detail at the gaps that exist across government in services for seniors and to make a plan to fill those gaps. So that includes housing. So we recently  the Minister of Housing and I recently went to Fort Good Hope for the opening of their new seniors housing. And the collaboration there is that the Housing Corporation built the facility, and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not aware of the same kind of adverse effects with the Pfizer vaccine as there have been with the AstraZeneca vaccine. They are different kinds of vaccines. And I don't know a lot about how they're different. I just can tell you that they are apples and oranges in terms of vaccines.

But what I can say is that we are very interested in going back to communities and providing more vaccinations. Just as the Member said, this is what we hoped, that people would see that those who got vaccinated did great, they have a lot more freedom, they can isolate for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've been vaccinating teachers along with the rest of the population, 18 plus, since March. There have been three trips in to Tuktoyaktuk to provide vaccinations. If there are people who still require vaccinations, they should call the health centre and make that need known so that another trip into Tuk can be planned. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to make the distinction between the Department of Health and Social Services and the Health and Social Services Authorities. The Department of Health and Social Services is the policy arm of the operation. The implementation on the ground in the health centres is the Health and Social Services Authority. I haven't received a request from another health centre for a program audit. But one was done at the health at the Fort Providence health centre on March the 19th. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, we're a step back from that. We're trying to develop the model of care for doulas within the existing health and social services system that builds on the work that they're doing now and develops models that support collaboration between different partners in the birthing setting, including, of course, communities, families, and health services. So once that's in place, then how low income people can access this with grants would be the logical next step. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the short answer is yes, doulas and Indigenous birth workers are welcomed now in the maternity care setting as an important support for expectant parents and families. They're sometimes doulas are members of the family or extended family. Sometimes they are contracted by the parents to be there to provide the support service. So they, it's important to note, are nonmedical personnel. They are not regulated. But they are hugely respected for the role they play with birthing in the North. Thank you.