Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke about modernizing Indigenous medicine, and my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous People states that Indigenous knowledge medicine must be protected. Mr. Speaker, how does the Minister understand the role of the Department of Health and Social Services in preserving, protecting and supporting the delivery of Indigenous medicine practices? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that's a huge question. Historically, I would say that the Health and Social Services Department in the Northwest Territories has not made responding to Indigenous healing practice a priority, but since becoming the Minister of Health and Social Services I've clearly heard from Indigenous leaders and residents across the Northwest Territories that we need to find ways to support traditional healing in our health and social services system. Mr. Speaker, that's why in November 2016 I tabled a commitment to action document titled "Building a Culturally Respectful Health and Social Services System."
Mr. Speaker, one of the key commitments in this document includes understanding and respecting traditional healing and finding ways to incorporate it within our system. Staff are currently working towards developing an action plan with traditional healing as one of the action pillars.
Mr. Speaker, in addition, when I met with Indigenous leaders from across the Northwest Territories over the past several years I've heard that we need to work in partnership to ensure that Indigenous traditions and practices are reflected and honoured in the delivery of a health and social services system.
Last year, Mr. Speaker, the department invited Indigenous governments from across the Northwest Territories to participate in a working group to consider how we together might structure an Indigenous advisory body that can help inform and shape our program and policies in this area. Over the past year departmental staff have collaborated with representatives from seven NWT Indigenous governments to develop the terms of reference for this group, and that draft is currently out for review by the Indigenous leaders from across the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, I had intended and still intend to make a Minister's statement on this exact topic later this week.
These are important steps, Mr. Speaker. However, as the Member has clearly outlined there are many challenges to this work that stem from the long history of colonization. For these reasons I think we all must take great care in the way that we approach these discussions and rely on partners and knowledge of experts in the field, such as the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation and the advisory group that I just mentioned, to help guide our appropriate discussions and direction in this area.
Once the action plan is tabled in the new year, engagement with our partners will be critical to further identify our actions around traditional healing and wellness throughout the entire Northwest Territories.
I appreciate the response from the Minister. Mr. Speaker, my second question is the Department of Health and Social Services recently released the NWT Midwifery Stakeholder Engagement Report. Mr. Speaker, how will the department support the revitalization of Inuit and First Nations midwifery practice in our communities?
In response to one of the recommendations put forth in the NWT Midwifery Stakeholder Engagement Report the department has initiated some preliminary discussions with partners in the School of Human Services at Aurora College to begin to explore the feasibility of offering a maternity care worker and training program. This type of program, Mr. Speaker, is similar to the model that has been offered by Nunavut Arctic College that is grounded in Indigenous culture beliefs and values.
Given that Stanton had committed to the development of a territorial Aboriginal wellness centre, how will the Indigenous medicine practices and programs, like the traditional food program be incorporated into the new Stanton Hospital and hospitals across the Northwest Territories?
With the new territorial hospital being built, Stanton and the GNWT have a unique opportunity to collaborate with their P3 partners in developing traditional foods menus. Carillion, which is the organization that will be managing the facility management of the hospital, has been in dialogue with hospital leadership, Stanton's Indigenous Wellness Program, and the Stanton renewable project to explore what a northern and traditional food menu may look like in the hospital. The menu planning discussions have included how foods are harvested, prepared, and how they can be served to patients while they're in care at Stanton.
The goal ultimately, Mr. Speaker, is to have northern and traditional menus be part of the mainstream menus as opposed to an exception. Northern and traditional foods would also be part of the menu for all meals served, not just lunches and dinners. Sample menus and preparation techniques have been provided to Carillion by Stanton Indigenous Wellness Program, and I'd like to add that Stanton's Indigenous Wellness Program provides welcoming, culturally sensitive emotional support to Aboriginal patients during their hospital stay. Access to cleansing ceremonies, traditional healing, and medicine is provided to patients as requested, and the lessons we learned from Stanton, we hope and believe can be applied to other parts of the territory. We understand the value of traditional foods. We are trying to find a way. We are working with our partners.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
