Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I brought up for the teachers not only in Nunakput but the whole Beaufort-Delta, and my questions will be, today, for the Minister of health. Does the Minister, working together to respond to COVID-19 and becoming aware of the teachers' situation, not able to travel and putting them on the rapid testing list and supporting them, if they go out for travel and having them covered under hotel accommodation for their pay, is she working with the Minister of ECE to get them on the rapid testing list? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to start by saying how grateful I am to the 800 teachers in the Northwest Territories for the sacrifices they have made during the pandemic to switch to virtual instruction, to forgo holidays because of the isolation required. I realize it has not been easy. I have not heard from the NWTTA on the question of rapid testing. Our rapid testing capacity does exist in every community but in a fairly limited way, so that is something that I could enquire about, whether there is any interest on behalf of the NWTTA in ramping up rapid testing for teachers.
Did the public health officer determine that, as doctors and nurses are essential workers, is it possible to put teachers on that essential workers list also?
The Chief Public Health Officer determined the occupational groups that are in priority on the vaccine list, and the teachers are not there. I have heard from NWTTA about that. The CPHO determined the priority based on risk exposure and risk of severe illness. Fortunately for us, schools have been very healthy places. They have obviously been very diligent with their isolation, with their hand-washing, with their cleaning and so on. Maybe they have done too good a job, but they have not been placed on the priority list at this time.
I am asking if the Minister of health could talk with her colleague the Minister of Education to put the teachers on that listing. I am bringing it forward because I am getting calls from my teachers in Nunakput who are too scared to speak up, thinking that they are going to have backlash. Is the Minister prepared to talk with her colleague to put the teachers on the essential workers list and get them rapid testing and able to cover their costs when they are travelling out during spring break, for instance? The teachers need support, just like we do our doctors and nurses, which they do such a good job. I've been worked on for the last few months, so the Inuvik hospital are awesome, thank you, but I need help from these Ministers to help my teachers, all the teachers.
Just to say again it's the Chief Public Health Officer whose decision this is, so it's not my decision and it's not the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. We do know that we are on track to vaccinate everyone in the Northwest Territories who is 18 years and older by the end of March. At that point, teachers will be in the same position as everyone else in terms of having protection, from the vaccine, but as I mentioned last week in response to questions, I do not think that our border controls will come off at the end of March because the vaccination rate in the rest of Canada is so much lower.
I do want to say that teachers have access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program through their union, the NWTTA. It's available to them 24/7, and of course, they are also eligible to receive any of the services that we offer to residents of the NWT through the NWT helpline, the Community Counselling Program, and similar things which I also spoke about at length last week.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Why is it so hard to get commitment for getting essential worker status for the teachers? We need help. They need help. Like the Minister said, 800 teachers across the territory have done so much for the students and did their jobs well, but they are asking for help right now. They need to get out. It's been a year almost. Some of them have not been returned home. They need support to get them out for holidays and giving them a little bit of break during spring break. I am asking this Minister to talk to her colleague, to talk to the NWTTA, and get them on the list for rapid testing and support for them when they travel so they don't have to pay for their hotel when they come back into the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I just want to take the opportunity to say that, where the vaccine has been given in the small communities, every adult over 18 has received the vaccine. Of course, that includes teachers, so the teachers in the smallest communities have, in fact, been vaccinated. In terms of leaving the territory, nobody is a prisoner here. They are eligible to apply for a self-isolation plan for when they come home, isolate for 14 days. If it is non-essential travel, then they, like everyone else, will have to pay the cost of isolation, but if it is essential travel for family reasons or for medical reasons, then the government will pay their isolation costs. We do for them what we do for everyone else. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
