Sandy Lee

As I stated, we are looking at it, we’re reviewing it and looking at the possibility of including it.

The writing of legislation to regulate a profession is a lot more complex than we think. Regulating a profession for engineers and architects took 10 years. Regulating a profession for nurse practitioners and midwives took many, many, many years. You would have to ask a lawyer and other professionals to see why that is so complex, but it is not just something that you do lightly. It’s not as expeditious and easy as we would like.

As I said to Members yesterday, we are working on an umbrella legislation that would be called Health and Social Services Profession Legislation. The groups that we...

The naturopathic practitioners were met with the staff from the department. The department advised them, they had a meeting together and they explained to them about their power and ability to practice here.

I repeat once again that they’re allowed to practice here. There’s nothing that stops them from practicing naturopathic profession here. They were encouraged to keep their credentials from other jurisdictions because that allows them to practice here. I’m not sure what the issue is. They are allowed to practice here. We encourage them to do their work.

Thank you. There are massage therapists and other professionals who are able and allowed to practice in the Northwest Territories and their credentials that they received from other jurisdictions are recognized here. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are quite a few people in the gallery that I would like to recognize, with the House’s indulgence. We have the Wise Women Award recipient Ann Kasook and her husband, who sings beautifully. Her husband’s name is Charlie. I didn’t want to be wrong. Allison Dejong for the Sahtu; she has her mother with her in her honour. Sylvia Nadli from Deh Cho; Alizette Lockhart from South Slave; Lena Pedersen for North Slave/Tlicho. We also have the president of the Status of Women Council, Dolly Simon, and executive director of the Status of Women Council of the NWT, Lorraine...

Mr. Speaker, I repeat, we are reviewing the situation. I want to assure the profession that they are allowed to practice in the meantime with the licence they have, we are looking at that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am happy to advise the House that Dr. Bob Bromley can call himself Dr. Bromley and if MLA Abernethy were to get a PhD, he could call himself a doctor. However, Mr. Speaker, Section 82 of the Medical Profession Act of the NWT prohibits anyone from using the title doctor, surgeon or physician that may lead people to believe that she or he is a medical practitioner licensed under the act. Individuals are free to practice as a naturopath practitioner but may not refer to themselves as a doctor or a physician. This is based on legal advice we received from Justice. Thank...

For the Member to say there’s no plan, that really speaks poorly to the people who are taking care of our medevac planes and travels everyday all over the Territories. We are involved and we are responsible and our staff does a very good job of moving patients around, bad weather notwithstanding. They have to accommodate that.

Mr. Speaker, I am not at all aware of the specific situation he’s talking about. I do not have the information on the situation where somebody waited for two hours. I don’t know how he can say there was no involvement by anybody, because I’ve not had a chance to look at...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How is it possible? That’s the weather. People who move patients around all over the Territories work with our weather system. The health care professionals work very hard to make quick decisions and necessary decisions and medical decisions on an ongoing basis. It is possible for patients to be weathered out of somewhere. It happens in the Territories once in a while. I mean, that’s the weather. Surely I’m not responsible for weather.

I did not say we would not do that. I said we are reviewing the possibility of adding that. This issue came up within the last couple of months and we are reviewing to see if we could add that extra profession. Let me say that lack of regulation does not preclude the practitioners from practicing. There’s nothing that precludes them from practicing.