Does the Minister of Health and Social Services know how many NWT residents who’ve gone out and studied to become medical doctors have actually returned to serve in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
I was not able to get that information together today. I will agree to provide that information to the Member as soon as I have that information. Thank you.
I’m sure the Minister is keenly aware of the fact that we’re very interested in having resident physicians in Hay River, so these numbers and statistics are very much of interest to the Members who represent Hay River and to the people of Hay River.
I’d like to ask, of the 11 medical students that are in southern Canada studying now that have taken the bursary and will come back for return of service, is there anything else in the plans or in the works at this time that would further enhance the incentive to return to the North or support these medical students in their studies. Thank you.
There is a plan in place where we intend to actually visit the students that are getting close to completing. Of the 11 students, two of them are in first year, two are in the second year, one student is in the third year, we have two students in the fourth year, two students in the fifth year, and two students have completed the program and will be returning to the NWT for some intern work. The plan is as these students are getting close to completing the program, that we’re going to visit them – by we, I mean the Department of Health and Social Services – to have that discussion to see if there’s a possibility of placing them in the Northwest Territories to practice. Thank you.
When the Minister or departmental officials visit these students who are in various stages of completion of their studies to become medical doctors, when they have these meetings, I would like to ask, will the Minister or his officials be encouraging any of these students when they graduate to come back on the return of service. Will you be sharing them or are you going to put them all in Yellowknife? That’s what I’m trying to ask you, to get to the point. We would like to see some of them in the regions, not just all in the capital, and I’d like to know will that be part of the discussion. Thank you.
I have asked the Joint Leadership Council, that’s the chairpersons and the public administrators of all the health and social services authorities, and they’ve had a discussion with their CEOs to put a recruitment strategy together for physicians. Within that recruitment strategy we are asking each of them to develop various ways where they can recruit physicians to the regions. Some initial discussions we are having with the health and social services authorities are fairly interesting, and we’re hoping that we will have a plan that we can move forward with by September, or we will have a plan that we’re moving forward with in September. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the attempt on a national basis to distribute the human resource, I guess, of medical professionals amongst regions where they’re in most demand, and that being rural and remote regions, will the department consider any different inducements for students graduating, to come and serve and do their medical practice in a smaller community, as opposed to what they would get paid and what incentives they would have to serve in Yellowknife? It’s a commonly employed practice. Could there be extraordinary inducements for them to locate outside of the capital? Thank you.
Any inducements will not be monetary. It would be things like looking at doctors that may be interested in doing things that are common in the smaller areas. I know that one of the CEOs was going to websites where individuals were going hiking and canoeing, like, outdoor adventure-type websites to see if there were doctors that were going there on a regular basis that might want to come to the Northwest Territories because there is a lot of that to offer in the Territories. There are a lot of wild outdoor adventures to be able to be offered in the various regions. This is one thing that we have looked at. We’re asking each of the authorities to develop a recruitment strategy that’s creative to try to bring people. As I indicated in the House previously, plan A is to bring people into the regions, doctors, physicians into the regions; and plan B would be to try to create a territorial pool within the Northwest Territories, whether it be in Yellowknife or Hay River. If Hay River’s able to attract, Fort Smith is able to attract doctors that will work in other regions, then they’re going to be open to all of those various methods. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Finance.
Would the Minister supply a detailed analysis on the small capital projects budget for the budget years 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, which specifically aggregates the following details by departmental budget:
Items requested in the actual budgets and the budgeted amount requested for each item in the capital plans;
The supplier and actual cost of each item purchased;
The date of purchase and delivery date of each item; and
The reasons why any requested items were not purchased, and an explanation of what happened to the financial commitment for each of the items requested.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled “Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2012-2013.” Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “NWT Economic Outlook Report, 2011-2012.” Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. I am tabling a document pursuant to Section 5 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act. I wish to table a summary of Members’ absences for the period of February 7, 2012, to May 22, 2012. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, June 14, 2012, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that the departments of Justice and Health and Social Services work cooperatively to bring forward a plan for introduction of diversion measures including specialized courts in integrated case management for review in the 2013-14 business plans;
And further, that the same departments provide the Standing Committee on Social Programs with a work plan at the earliest opportunity that will describe how this objective will be achieved, and that reflects the individual departments’ responsibilities in achieving this goal, on which to base accountability;
And furthermore, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive response to this motion within 120 days. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Mr. Miltenberger.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, I will move that Bill 6, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2012-2013, be read for the first time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Abernethy.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, I will move that Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Judicature Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Mr. Abernethy.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, I will move that Bill 8, An Act to Amend the Securities Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS Section 23.(1) of the Human Rights Act provides that the Commissioner, on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, shall appointment a director of human rights to carry out the responsibilities set out in the act;
AND WHEREAS the Board of Management is tasked with recommending an individual to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Assembly is prepared to make a recommendation to the Commissioner;
NOW THERE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that Ms. Deborah McLeod of Yellowknife be appointed as director of human rights during good behaviour for a term of four years by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories as recommended by the Legislative Assembly;
AND FURTHER, that the Speaker be authorized to communicate the effective date of appointment to the Commissioner.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Carried
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly, on October 20, 2005, resolved to formally observe May 26th as the National Day of Healing and Reconciliation in support of our communities, families and individuals who endure the impacts of a residential school system;
AND WHEREAS the objectives of the National Day of Healing and Reconciliation are to:
celebrate a positive, collective healing and reconciliation movement within our families, communities, churches and government on May 26th each year;
educate ourselves and other Canadians about our collective history of government policies which impacted Aboriginal communities and other ethnic groups; and
develop commemoration sites and encourage communities to join in the National Day of Healing and Reconciliation;
AND WHEREAS the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has a mandate to learn the truth about what happened in the residential schools and document the truth of what happened by relying on records held by those who operated and funded the schools, testimony from officials of the institutions, and experiences reported by survivors, their families, communities and anyone personally affected by the residential schools;
AND WHEREAS the Truth and Reconciliation Commission held, and continues to hold, hearings throughout the Northwest Territories, allowing survivors to tell their stories, share their pain and educate all Canadians about a sad and unjust part of our collective history;
AND WHEREAS June 11th is the anniversary of the Prime Minister’s full apology on behalf of Canadians for the Indian residential schools system;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the Legislative Assembly thank the members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada for the work they have done in the Northwest Territories and across Canada;
AND FURTHER, that the Legislative Assembly honour the survivors who have shared their suffering with great dignity in order to promote healing and reconciliation.
---Applause
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have jotted down a few notes. I will say some more later on to this motion.
From the early ‘60s through the late ‘70s, never have I imagined that a government, let alone people who would one day want to observe a day in the life of a student of a survivor of a residential school, like me who grew up in such an institution. There are many me’s in this situation.
Like I said earlier, when I was sitting home this weekend, we are the ones who made it out. As the saying goes, only the strongest survive, and we also had enough of carrying the whole world on our shoulders and we need to let it go and let’s get on with life. That’s why we are honouring the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They are providing one of those avenues that allows us, and for this we say thank you to those who are involved with truth and reconciliation. We say thank you for the ones who fought for us. We say thank you for the ones who told us to speak up. We say thank you for the ones who told us to talk publicly and to say what it’s like for them. For that we say thank you for those who encouraged us.
May 26th, Mr. Speaker, should be marked in all of our government institutions as a day to stop for a moment and to think of families, friends and the ones who aren’t here today with us. We need to honour, and we need to honour knowing those persons, because they went through what we went through. Every time you think back of a residential school, we think of names and we acknowledge the past and you have to move on, Mr. Speaker. Enough is enough.
This government, the federal government especially have been pushed by the former students of residential schools. We pushed them to educate the bureaucracy about what happened. We pushed them to let them know what kind of policies at one time was to believe was right, only to find out later on, as we got more educated, it was to get rid of people like me and get rid of the native people of everything. They even went so far as stealing our children and only to return them to their homes as strangers.
The federal government made the apologies four years ago, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed to hear the truth of what really happened in the schools and to record the experience of these schools. The cloak of darkness has been lifted and we must keep this cloak up as we need to allow the light to shine in these dark places of our souls to begin the path of forgiveness and reconciliation and to allow our communities to heal.
So, Mr. Speaker, I stand here because of my will to live and my thanks to many people who have helped me and, of course, my mom and my grandparents. There are thousands of survivors in our communities, thousands who need a pat on the back and the recognition for being the ones who have gone to residential schools. We need to say thank you to those students for breaking trail for us. We need to say thank you, thank you, so that we can enjoy what we have today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Motion is in order. I’ll allow the seconder to speak. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased and honoured to be able to second this motion. The issue of residential school is a chapter of Canadian history, of northern history, and it’s also a chapter of the lives of many of us that are here today. I look around this House and I think I see about eight or nine of us that went to residential school. I was 12, so that’s 49 years ago.
I’d like to thank the commission for the work that they’ve done bringing this issue to focus and helping us all embark upon a journey of healing and reconciliation, and of forgiveness, as my colleague indicated earlier. Hopefully, for all of us it’s possible, of course, for closure at some point. So as Mr. Yakeleya said, we can move on, we can acknowledge and place this experience that we’ve all lived through – and for some of us our parents and even our grandparents lived through – in its perspective and not allow it to control our lives.
So it’s an honour to stand here. I acknowledge and pay my respect and honour to all of the other folks that went through residential school, the survivors.
Mr. Speaker, I’ve chosen over my life to try to focus on what I think is one of the very positive aspects from my experience, and that is the very many good, life-long friends that I made in residential school and that I have to this day. Some are sitting here beside me and it was the good part. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. To the motion. Mr. Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to stand today to support this motion on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories and my fellow Cabinet Ministers. The residential school system has had long-lasting effects on the people of the Northwest Territories, their families and their communities, and on Aboriginal people across Canada. Generations of children were separated from their families at a young age. They often lost their language and their culture. They sometimes suffered abuse. Instead of growing to be strong, healthy peoples and good parents, they struggled with addictions and mental health issues.
All the Members of this House know friends and family who attended residential school. Some of us attended them ourselves. We have firsthand knowledge of how people’s lives have been touched by the experience of the residential school system. The effects have been far-reaching and passed on to our families and communities, even to those who never attended residential school. We still see the results in our health and social services system and in our correctional system.
The Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes the negative ways that the residential school experience has affected our people. We know that healing is essential if we want to have healthy, educated people contributing to a strong Northwest Territories.
Healing is not possible without true understanding. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is playing a vital role in promoting healing in the Northwest Territories and across Canada. Through its work gathering statements from those affected by residential schools, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is helping people learn what happened at residential schools.
Almost a year ago the commission held its northern national event in Inuvik. The event included sharing panels, sharing circles and private statement gathering, as well as daily expressions of reconciliation. These were important activities that have helped promote understanding, reconciliation and new relationships with our Aboriginal peoples.
Healing is a lifelong journey and can often be difficult. The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to supporting our people in their healing journey. In October 2005, the 15th Legislative Assembly passed a motion officially recognizing May 26th as the National Day of Healing and Reconciliation. We are still the only government in Canada to officially recognize this day. As Members have heard this afternoon, the government continues to offer support to all those who are affected by the residential school experience. We provide mental health and addictions services across the territory and we will be working with communities to develop wellness plans to support community designed wellness programming. Later this year, the North Slave Correctional Centre will be the first correctional facility in the country to have a Truth and Reconciliation Commission come in and record statements from residential school survivors. Education, Culture and Employment has developed a new curriculum, focusing on the history and legacy of residential schools that will be introduced in the fall.
Officially recognizing the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is another way that the Government of the Northwest Territories can support our residents in their healing journey, and make sure that all people learn the truth of what happened in residential schools. I and my colleagues wish to express our thanks to the commission and will stand in support of this motion today.
