Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am the Minister for all of the Northwest Territories. That is why, Mr. Speaker, you know, when we have people bringing up the issues that, you know, that that's what I'm speaking to. People in the communities don't have a doctor. People in the regional centres don't have a family doctor. We have doctors that travel into the communities. They're not their family doctor. The care that they're getting, you know, everybody what we're doing is we're trying to ensure that the Northwest Territories has access to the right service that they need, whether they're...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are vacancies in a lot of our specialty areas, and there's work ongoing. There is many ways that the department is reaching out, working with southern practitioners to be able to come to the Northwest Territories. There are a lot of challenges, like we said, all over Canada and, you know, when we think of all of the different areas where we are not having specialists come here, the bottom line is that part is you know, even though we know that it is hard for the patients to have to travel, you know, and you know, but if the service is if we can't...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can't confirm those numbers at this time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the RFP for dental services to the communities was put out. There was no submissions. And so we are continuing to work with the facility out of Inuvik as we can, and I can be I can let the Member know that on March 12th or 13th to March 19th, Fort McPherson will be getting the dental for his community. Unfortunately, Aklavik and Tsiigehtchic, there are pending equipment repairs. So those communities are still pending for dentists' visits.

Mr. Speaker, there is a health care crisis throughout the territory, throughout Canada. You know, I think the what I'm trying to say here is every community in this territory, we are struggling with shortages. Whether it's Yellowknife, the regional centres, and it's not just doctors, it's nurses, it's you know, it's all of our specialists. This is across Canada. So I don't have the answer that the Member is looking for at this time, and what I'm just saying is that there is an issue and, you know, the department is working hard to recruit doctors, nurses, specialists. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the idea of a family doctor is something that happens in the territory only in Yellowknife. And of my 47 years living in the Northwest Territories, I've never had a family doctor. I've had a chart, and I've gone to a hospital where my medical records are, you know, and right now the way that the landscape is in health care is, you know, the idea of seeing the right person for the what the patient or the person needs is not necessarily always a doctor. And right now we are working on primary health care reform within the health and social services so that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I did sit on the social development, and I am a past nurse, but that doesn't mean that I am aware of the operations when I was a Regular Member. As the Minister, I know that there are ongoing discussions on how to, you know, work with all of our specialty areas and trying to obtain specialists to come to the Northwest Territories. So this will mitigate having patients having to travel, and this work is ongoing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I am aware of that the program that used to support the program in the Northwest Territories right now they everybody is having to travel to Alberta for that. There are discussions. I actually have a meeting in regards to this. It is ongoing work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, if I just if I may, dental treatment services are not insured services provided by health and social services. This is not something that we receive federal transfers on. What we do is we are funded through noninsured health benefits to provide the travel to private dental clinics which the clinic in Inuvik is a private dental clinic. Unfortunately, nobody has bid on any of those RFPs to travel. There are many reasons, and we are working with Indigenous Service Canada to rectify a lot of those reasons. You know, we've had discussions with Indigenous governments on all of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll have to get back to the Member on that.