Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned -- and I don't want to keep going but it -- you know, with youth under 18, if they are looking for top surgeries, that is the route that we are looking at right now, if that is an insured services that Canada does provide, we will find the routes to do that and the department has been directed to begin looking at that.

One thing I would like to say, though, is although, you know, there is direction from the government, it is the health care people that actually are on the floor of -- you know, when our residents do, it's the nurses. We have nurses that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the support that we have from Alberta, we have physicians here in the Northwest Territories that do provide this care. It's kind of like MAID. We have some physicians that do provide MAID. We have some physicians that do provide transgender care; that's a safe care for them to access. And with their practitioner, they work with their practitioner on how they move through the system. Alberta currently -- there are no surgeries done in Alberta currently so bottom surgeries and things that are done, there's only one place in Canada that those are done, and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when any Northwest Territories resident arrives to any health facility, they are triaged. And especially in the emergency, there is the triage, the CTAST that every patient is triaged. And so based on their -- what their complaints are and what they're coming in for, then that is what designates their priority. If like their symptoms or something changed while they're waiting to -- they're encouraged to go back to the registrar and have a nurse reassess them. There are -- you know, and I think the thing what I would like to say is that the staff that are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, first of all I'd like to say, like, you know this type of feedback is the valued feedback that we have received and that we are examining ways to increase professional development support. With right now what we have is the PDI, which is a fixed current funding envelope for all health care staff, however, allocating more to the nurse practitioners in this right now would actually decrease it to the health practitioners that are in this. The program is -- it's actually related to their jurisdiction. So whether you live in Yellowknife, you may get $2,000...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If Mr. Speaker would be kind enough to let me respond to this one, so I might need a little bit more time but if not, you can let me know. Because I think a lot of these answers, to fully understand how nurses are regulated are going to take a lot more time than I have left. So what I will say is that nurse practitioners are regulated through CAN. The nurse practitioner scope of practice is defined by legislation and applies to standards of practice through CAN. Operationally, nurse practice is aligned with the role for which they are hired. So, example, a nurse...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do provide mental health counselling across the Northwest Territories; however, there are some vacancies in some regions and that we continue to struggle with as many of our counsellors within our program, as the Member has said, you know, they are clinical counsellors and they should have -- be able to register, and we encourage them to register as soon as they are hired on under that, which also then, like the Member says, provides a barrier. Some of the people that have been working in our system for years. But we do provide virtual telephone counselling and fly...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while there's limited access to care in small communities, patients often have to travel elsewhere. And with our limited, you know -- Members of this House have brought up many times other alternative measures that we are looking at right now as virtual care and also with the public administrator going into each of the regions to see what is actually needed and what can be implemented as soon as possible in those small communities that could help promote the health of the people in those communities while reducing their need to always have to travel into...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, within health and social services, there are core services -- standards do exist throughout the Northwest Territories but right now, what's happening is we are reviewing those and focusing on updating a lot of those core service standards to ensure better supports and guidance for health and social services authorities implementing these standards, and that's one of the things that we are focusing on. And hopefully that these recommendations from that review will help to move these next steps forward by this summer that we will have that finalized. Thank...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I would like to say is I would like to welcome and recognize the healthcare providers that are here today. Their continuous efforts to caring for our residents and the work that we're doing in this House every day to try and improve that, it's the feedback that we hear from them. Like I've said in the House many times, this is a big aircraft carrier to turn and I'm trying to turn this aircraft carrier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, and everyone is aware that, you know -- and I'm not going to speak for Alberta and their rules. And I know that their legislation does speak to puberty blockers before the age of 16 and surgeries before they're age 18. So when the Member speaks to top surgeries, yes, that's accurate. And also the conversation that I had in person with the Minister, and I am going to be going down to Alberta to meet with the -- you know, to schedule a meeting with the health Minister there. They have switched portfolios, so there is a new health Minister that will...