Our hands are somewhat tied because of our participation or the commercial fishermen’s participation in the FMCC and there are no plans currently underway for us to withdraw from that. Certainly as a department we can look at making strategic investments in a place like Kakisa, where we’re looking at a new fish holding and processing unit there in Kakisa for the pickerel. We’re also looking at possible portable fish processing equipment that could be used in areas like the Sahtu. So it’s strategic initiatives like that and investments like that in communities, especially in small communities, that are going to make a big difference in getting that produce out and to market. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services about the health care assessment that could be done in the Sahtu communities, specifically in Fort Good Hope where an increase of cancers are being diagnosed by the physicians either in Yellowknife or Edmonton or even in the Inuvik area. Can the Minister let the people know in Good Hope that there will be proper testing of the people who are afraid that they may be getting sick or they may have some other illness that they should be aware of and getting it treated right away?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Health, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I had indicated previously in questions about the cancer rates in Fort Good Hope, our attention is to pay attention to that, as well as other communities which have come forward as a result of questionings from the Member as you hear in the House, and we’re working with the chief public health officer within the department to develop some sort of strategy to address the issue.
Now, in as far as the actual testing goes, I’m familiar with how that process works, but if there is testing to be done in Fort Good Hope about cancer, we’ll do it.
Exactly what the Minister has indicated is what the people in Fort Good Hope want. They want to know if there’s some sort of proper testing that can be set up in the community because of the increase of cancer recently by the health care on our residents. It was done in Aklavik several years ago. Certainly it can be done now in Fort Good Hope. So I would ask the Minister if he would begin working with our health board and the staff, to start implementing some guidelines to the health centre so people then can be assured when they go to the health centre, if they request a test that this test could be carried out in Good Hope or another hospital.
I think that anyone who wishes to go for testing through a lab and through the physician, the physician essentially fills out a form, and individuals going to the lab get all the tests necessary that get fed back to the doctor. In the case where we go into a community to do testing, I’m not 100 percent sure that we do that specific type of testing, which I will check into. I know that the one method, for sure, is for individuals to go to the doctor, then to the lab and then get the results back to the patient that way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
A number of my community constituents talked to me while I was in Fort Good Hope. They said when they go to the health centre and they complain about a sore back or sore stomach, the nurse usually refers them to Tylenol, Extra Strength Tylenol. She says, here, take this and come back. Usually when they come back, it’s serious. It’s sore and she again gives them Tylenol. I want to ask the Minister if this method can be stopped and the Minister can ask the health centres if they ask for testing, because we don’t have doctors all the time in the health centres, that they could go for further testing if it’s a sore stomach or back and people know there is something that is possibly there.
People know their bodies really well. They know they need to get tested. We need to get support from the department. Can the Minister give directions to the health centres where physicians are not always there on a 24-hour basis?
Clinical decisions are generally made by medical practitioners such as nurses and so on. However, if there are cases where individuals are sick, and they’re coming to the health centre and they are being treated for pain and sent home, then I think that the message has to go out from us to the health authorities, that that type of practice should not be continued. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly applaud the Minister’s messages to the health centres. Too often people in my communities go to the health centre, they’re given some mediation and then they’re sent home. I’d ask again if the Minister would let the health centres know that when people come in and they are requesting some further testing, that that can be done as soon as possible so that the people then can know that they can catch the disease or whatever they have earlier so it can be treated.
Right now in Good Hope there’s a cancer scare and that’s not good for people. I ask the Minister if he would give specific, special attention to people of Good Hope that they will start looking at the cancer testing of all the people.
The testing that occurred in another community that the Member refers to was testing for something else that may have been easy to test at the community level. I’m not sure how easy it is to test for cancer, but what we can do is have the department make it very clear to the health authorities and health centres that catching cancer at stage 1 is the most efficient way, has the greatest possibility of curing the individual and the least expense to the public purse when we are able to catch cancer at the first stage and not the fifth stage. So that message can be sent to the health authorities and the health centres that we try to do as early detection as possible. So if people are coming in sick and suspect they have cancer, the health centre and the health authorities should respond to that urgently.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Colleagues, I’d like to recognize the Information and Privacy Commissioner. Ms. Elaine Keenan Bengts was here today for the tabling of her annual report. Welcome to the House.
The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My next question will be to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment regarding the Nominee Program. Last night, as every night, of course, I was watching, with great interest, Northbeat. I watch it every weeknight, with Randy Henderson at 6:00. That promotion was free, by the way.
I really enjoyed the coverage on the Nominee Program in the Yukon Territory. It reminded me of how I supported the establishment of the program here in the Northwest Territories. I think it’s very important to acknowledge that the work was being done quite significantly to bring this program here and to get people working and employed in sectors that were not being picked up by the local population, which brings me to the question, Mr. Speaker. It’s been quite some time since we’ve heard anything out of the Education Minister regarding what’s happening with the Nominee Program. I’m wondering if the Minister could provide an update as to its accomplishments at this time.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Nominee Program was agreed upon in 2009 and then implemented from there. We are into a three-year program now. In 2010-2011 we’ve had just over 30 applicants, I do believe – just under 50 and we are entitled to 150 per year. So we are earmarking 2012 again for another 150 nominations from CIBC. So it’s been quiet in this area, but there are applications that are coming in, and 28 have been approved for the critical impact worker category and seven for the skilled workers category. So there are 35 nominee applications that have been approved and are in the system. We are also open for other nominees as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
I appreciate the update from the Minister regarding how many people have applied. Maybe he could repeat it for the House, to be clear. In the last two years how many people have actually applied at the program and how many people have been successful through the program and been supported by the Nominee Program? Thank you.
I don’t have the actual number of who all applied, but I do have the 35 who were approved. Mahsi.
I would hope the Minister would be able to get that information to me so I can help with others. As I say, help with others. Many people wonder how to access the program. One of the issues that constantly come to me is what type of advertisement or promotion does the department do to indicate it’s open for business and is willing to help process applications on the Nominee Program? People need to know where to go and what to do. What does the Minister have to say about accessibility?
I’m sure, as the Member indicated, he watches Northbeat, and I’m sure he reads the newspaper as well. It’s all over the newspaper as well. We also promote that on our website. We advertise across the Northwest Territories newspapers. We provide presentations to the general public and special interest groups. There have been promotional items being presented to the general public on the Nominee Program since 2009. We’re not into the second year. There has been some uptake in this program. We’ll continue to monitor it.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Minister be willing to commit to getting me those numbers I asked about earlier, and at the same time would he be willing to provide me with a complete package of what people would use to fill out, whether it’s an application process or a package? Would he be able to provide that to me? Finally, if he could update the House as to do the staff at ECE actually support employers in filling out this probably lengthy package of information.
We do assist through our Department of Education, Culture and Employment those individuals who walk in the door. If there are questions, we assist with them in that respect. I will definitely provide that information that we can provide to the Member.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the election process there were a lot of questions in terms of the timeliness and concerns regarding devolution. My question is to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. Can the Minister give us an update in terms of the progress of the devolution negotiations?
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we started out in this Caucus reaching out to Aboriginal governments to develop a better working relationship in order to find common ground on a number of issues including devolution, we are still engaged in that process and looking to have another follow-up meeting to Detah sometime early in the new year.
With regard to actual devolution negotiations, the Government of Canada just recently announced or appointed a new federal negotiator for devolution and we’re in the process of feeling him out. I think there are some official meetings that will be happening sometime soon; if not, early in the new year.
I just wanted to see if the Minister could provide perhaps just a vision in terms of where he sees this relationship building with First Nations going.
Right now in our discussions with the Aboriginal governments we’ve had a wide spectrum of points of view as to how we could proceed or try to find common ground on devolution. My expectation is that sometime soon, before we have a follow-up meeting to Detah, that we would be putting forward some government position as to how we can try to find a way forward.
I just wanted to ask maybe my final question to see if perhaps there will be some form of a forum. I understand there will be perhaps another forum such as Detah, which was fairly significant. Perhaps the Minister will look at convening another session of a forum that could have a venue of maybe a semblance of perhaps a protocol agreement of some sort with First Nations.
That is our intention. Most of the leaders have indicated that before we have a follow-up session, that we have something tangible that we can discuss. At least one of them has said they weren’t prepared to share their ideas; they prefer to wait and see what the government was proposing. So with regard to some sort of agreement, I guess we see it as something that we could do through Section 6. That offer has always been there where we could work out an arrangement through that section. We’d be quite prepared to pursue that angle as well.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Nadli. Okay. Thank you, colleagues. Item 9, written questions. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 8, oral questions, on the Order Paper.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think it’s any debate that there’s a holiday season coming up very shortly. I suspect I have a table officer that would back me up on that statement. My question is for the Premier. Noting that I wish all my constituents in Weledeh a very merry Christmas and the same to all the residents of the Northwest Territories, what are the wishes of the Premier today?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, wish the constituents of Yellowknife South and all the people of the Northwest Territories and everybody here a very merry Christmas and happy and prosperous New Year.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that response. One of my favourite activities is to go out and get the Christmas tree with my wife, in snowshoes, and bring it back. I enjoy the smell in the house. I’m wondering what is one of the favourite activities that the Premier engages in over the holiday season.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. That has nothing to do with the Minister’s portfolios of what he has to do in the House. Do you have any other questions?
Thank you. I have no further questions.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Public Accounts of the Government of the Northwest Territories Interim Report for the Year Ended March 31, 2011.”
