Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with the Member, you know, the demoralizing for the folks that have to go through this. And yes, we do see a lot of locums and, unfortunately, at this time that is not possible in our electronic medical records to, other than the male/female genders. But the requirements that are going to be the things that we are working toward in the new EMR will include that like, for the system to be able to do that. But, and, you know, thank you that we've had these discussions between the Minister and the Member is that knowing that I've worked in the systems and, you...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department continues to follow up with families, you know, to try to meet them where they're at and to see what steps need to be put in place in order to have the children reunited into the home. And if there's specific instances where the Member, you know, has families that are feeling that this is not being done, I would encourage those families, you know, to reach out to my office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have the level of detail that the Member is asking. But what I would like to provide the Member is that knowing that we have a large number of children in care and, you know, and we did a lot of work on child and family services in the last government, and as I was part of that work as Regular Members, one of the things that I don't think a lot of us from that time walked away from was knowing where the children were. So I can provide some of the information that the Member is asking, but I also want to share that a large portion of the children...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know when we hear inefficiency, you know, in our public service staff, especially in Health and Social Services, are run off, you know, their feet, then we say there's inefficiencies is -- you know, they're doing multiple jobs and they're providing frontline service. And I hear the Member, and I understand where he's coming from. That is why the Minister of health and I have had active conversations on where we are financially and, again, where those core programs are, where those noncore funded that we are funding from within that we're providing to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, within the department, we have the ADM of finance, policy and planning. Within NTHSSA, they have their own finance. And within the NTHSSA, there's also a sustainability unit that has been working through the NTHSSA reviewing all of the programs under the government renewal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our old foster care system, you know, there wasn't -- from all of the information that I've been provided and the work that's been done within child and family services is to work with the family to find now somebody who is either within the family, next of kin, a close relative, another Indigenous person. But those families also have to, you know, go through the foster family. We have not a lot of Indigenous foster families, and the more Indigenous foster families and the more family members, when they know that there's children that are possibly, you know...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, and that was where this health sustainability unit came into play, and that was the expectation of that, and now that they've completed one part of it, that is the discussion that I'm having with the Minister of Finance, not the Minister of health, and does that department need to -- you know, is it continuing the way it's going to continue or does it need to do something else now. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe in the department of health as well and all of the associations. And I know that, you know, given the Member, you know, highlighting the amount that it costs to run health and social services in all 33 communities, it is a high cost. The Member also stated that there are a lot of unfunded positions. A lot of those unfunded positions are third party funded positions which we get a lot of federal money for. Those positions -- and then there's -- because we have such a high number of workforce within, we have one-third of the employees as well. We do...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was extensive engagement done. The wellness and recovery centre isn't expected to be opened until 2027. At that time, you know, the operations and all of those things that are going to come into play with that and following the opening, you know, that's where we can discuss ongoing, you know, issues that may come arise. But, you know, as of right now, we don't know what those issues will come, you know, how this facility will support those residents that are here in Yellowknife going to be utilizing that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like again like I said, I don't understand whether it's where it is now, it's downtown Yellowknife, where it was before, it's downtown Yellowknife, where it's going back, it's downtown Yellowknife. There's nothing changing, it's downtown Yellowknife. I don't know where the Member wants me to put our Indigenous homeless people, predominantly, that are here that are struggling. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.