Députée d’Inuvik Twin Lakes

Ministre de la Santé et des Services sociaux

Lesa Semmler a été réélue à la 20e Assemblée législative des Territoires du Nord-Ouest après avoir été députée représentant Inuvik Twin Lakes à la 19e Assemblée. Mme Semmler a été élue au Conseil exécutif de la 20e Assemblée législative des Territoires du Nord-Ouest.

Mme Semmler est née à Yellowknife (TNO) et a grandi à Inuvik (TNO), où elle réside encore aujourd’hui.

Mme Semmler a obtenu son diplôme d’infirmière autorisée dans le cadre du Programme d’études en soins infirmiers dans le Nord du Collège Aurora en 2000 et son attestation d’infirmière en santé communautaire de l’Association des infirmières et infirmiers du Canada en 2008. Elle a décroché son certificat en leadership du Collège de Vancouver en 2012 et son certificat du programme de perfectionnement en leadership du gouvernement des Territoires du Nord-Ouest et de la School of Business de l’Université de l’Alberta en 2016.

Pendant 15 ans, Mme Semmler a été infirmière autorisée de première ligne à l’Hôpital régional d’Inuvik, où elle s’est concentrée sur les soins de courte durée, les soins à domicile et la santé publique. Elle a également travaillé pendant un an au Service de santé publique à Yellowknife, et a été gestionnaire du service de soins de courte durée à l’Hôpital régional d’Inuvik, puis gestionnaire régionale des soins de courte durée après la fusion avec l’Administration des services de santé et des services sociaux des TNO. Plus récemment, elle a travaillé pour la Société régionale inuvialuite à titre d’intervenante pivot du système de santé pour les Inuvialuits, aidant les bénéficiaires inuvialuits à s’orienter dans le système de santé.

De 2012 à 2015, Mme Semmler a siégé au conseil d’administration de l’Administration scolaire de district d’Inuvik, dont elle a assuré la présidence de 2015 à 2018. Durant cette période, elle a également été présidente du Conseil scolaire de Beaufort-Delta.

Mme Semmler a également été membre de nombreux groupes de travail aux niveaux territorial et national, tels que le Conseil inuit d’éradication de la tuberculose, l’initiative de revitalisation des services de sages-femmes inuites et Hotii ts’eeda (Stratégie de recherche axée sur le patient des TNO). Elle a par ailleurs été membre de la Société régionale inuvialuite ainsi que de nombreuses autres initiatives liées à la santé.

En outre, Mme Semmler s’est portée volontaire à titre de membre du Cercle conseil national des familles de l’Enquête sur les femmes et les filles autochtones disparues et assassinées. Elle a ainsi eu l’honneur de prendre part à cet événement historique traitant du passé des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, œuvrant à ce que toutes les voix du Nord soient entendues et représentées dans le rapport final.

Mme Semmler aime lire, réaliser de petits projets de rénovation et faire de la motomarine dans le delta du Mackenzie avec son mari pendant l’été.

Elle est mariée à Jozef Carnogursky, son partenaire depuis 25 ans. Ils ont deux enfants, Jozef et Myja.

Committees

Lesa Semmler
Inuvik Twin Lakes
Bureau

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Boîte
1320
Bureau de circonscription

125 Mackenzie Rd
Unit 203
Inuvik NT X0E 0T0
Canada

P.O. Boîte
3130
Ministre
Ministre de la Santé et des Services sociaux

Déclarations dans les débats

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 59)

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...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 59)

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...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 59)

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...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 59)

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...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate this question, yes, and non-seniors, because there is no income threshold on -- or sorry, seniors, there's no income threshold so those just automatically renew every year. Because the extended health program is based on income, there is an annual CRA that needs to be added to their application. However, I've directed my department to put in clearer processes as this -- you know, we're hearing this, that there's vacancies -- or there's gaps in people that are applying. So we'll take that back, and we'll look at how we can streamline that process better or...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the public administrator is working full-time. They're travelling around throughout the territories. I'm not going to release publicly where he is at every given moment. I don't keep track of that. He's got a responsibility to work full-time and report back to me. And as long as the objectives are being met and I'm meeting with him regularly, weekly, myself, then, you know, I will ensure that the work is continuing and that there's changes that are happening. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned previously, that NIHB is done differently in every region and what I -- what I mean differently is that even in Nunatsiavut, they have drawn down -- with their Indigenous government has drawn down the -- to implement the NIHB -- administer the administration. So even in -- and I raised this even with Newfoundland health Minister that they don't even deal with it because it's dealt with their Indigenous government. So every jurisdiction is different. BC has a First Nation health, and that's who administers, and so if you're Inuit in BC, you...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I committed in standing committee -- in the public standing committee, we will -- as the public meetings of the public administrator, we will release those publicly. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have information up until June, and what I have until June is that the shifts are covered. So I don't have the other information. So I can get back to the Members with that information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm just asking that -- I'm not saying that it's negative. I'm saying that it's the respect that we all in this House do with each other as titles. That is the respect that I'm asking. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.