Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Member for the question. And the Member did bring it up to my attention and I did a little bit of research on that.
So the honorarium rate is set out with the financial administration manual with the Department of Finance. I can't speak on why or when the rate was set, but I can say that the honorarium is paid to individuals attending the meetings and other official businesses. But I'm willing to meet with the Minister with the Member and the Minister of Finance to get further information on this. And, again, I'd like to thank the Member for bringing this to our attention. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the GNWT recognize the value of traditional knowledge of Indigenous people in creating public policy because it's not very clear to me based on this policy. The question to the Minister. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you ENR, through the traditional knowledge policy, recognizes Indigenous traditional knowledge as an essential source of information about natural environment and the relationship of people on the land and to each other. I can tell you our traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge helps us develop our policies. So, yes, we find it very important to reach out to our Indigenous partners moving forward with our policies. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister commit to revising the honorarium policy for traditional knowledge by doubling the base rate in addition to increase the base on inflation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm more than willing to meet with the Member and then reach out to the finance minister to have those conversations. Again, this is the finance Minister's responsibility but I'm more than willing to work with the Member to meet with the Minister on this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister. So I guess I look forward to meeting with you and the Minister and to have that discussion as well. And I think that at the starting point, you know, at the bare minimum, based on inflation costs, you know, we're looking at probably maybe $500 a day for honorarium. But, again, it's something that we need to talk about and review. So I guess the Minister would be able to respond to this. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like I said, I'm more than willing to meet with the Member and the Minister to discuss this. Traditional knowledge is very important. And, again, when we reach out to our elders, that's our foundation so their knowledge and information is very helpful. So like I said, I will work with the Member and to have that conversation with the finance minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're just a few short months away from having another class of Aurora College nursing graduates. And so I'm wondering if the Minister of Health and Social Services can tell us how many students she is expecting to graduate from Aurora College nursing program this year? Or how many sorry, how many are currently enrolled and may graduate I should probably ask. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. There are a total of 20 students in the final year of the bachelor of nursing program, and NTHSSA has made a conditional offer to each of them. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm very happy to hear that. That was going to be my next question for the Minister so that is wonderful news.
I'm wondering if the GNWT has also looked into potential LPN graduates that will be graduating this year as well and if there have been any conditional job offers offered to them as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the human resources unit that deals with staffing for medical professionals in the NTHSSA is working to finalize the process for hiring licensed practical nurses from Aurora College, and we know that there are 12 possible hires in that group. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering what kind of a timeline Health is working with so that we don't risk losing these LPNs to other jurisdictions who might be already waiting with a job offer somewhere? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the point of having the LPN program there is to provide a local workforce for the functions of that particular job. While I don't have exact timing for when their process will be complete, it's my expectation that it will be complete in time to offer the LPNs work in the NWT. We need them. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I absolutely agree with the Minister. So I'm wondering, given the healthcare staffing shortage that we are experiencing as well in the Northwest Territories, and the pressure on primary care in health centres across the territory and, in addition to that, the availability of nurse practitioners to work alongside physicians, is the GNWT facilitating temporary certificates for all nurse practitioner graduates so that they can work while they're waiting for their national exam results? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services doesn't license medical professionals who are nurses. They are licensed by the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. And each graduating nurse would work with that entity to ensure they submit the necessary documents to be licensed in the NWT, whatever duration, whether they plan to be here on a temporary basis or fulltime. So once they're licensed, they would be eligible for employment and to compete on longterm employment and competitions within the GNWT because they would be cleared for work here. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first we need to talk about prevention and information on drug use. Youth as young as 12 years old are being targeted.
Can the Minister explain how the RCMP work with health and social services to promote the prevention of illicit drug use in small communities? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Justice sits on the I believe it's the problematic substance use committee with the Department of Health and Social Services to look at these exact issues that the Member is talking about. The Minister of health has also met with the commanding officer of the RCMP to begin discussions on how they can explore other options for enforcement and prevention in communities. So there is a number of ways that the departments that the RCMP and the department of health are collaborating, along with the Department of Justice. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our Indigenous government have a lot of information and can help the RCMP in the management of illicit drug use. Can the Minister explain how the RCMP advises and works with the Indigenous governments on the management of illicit drug use in small communities? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Each year I send out letters to the Indigenous governments across the territory to ask what they think the policing priorities should be for the RCMP. As Minister, I provide the RCMP with their policing priorities annually. One of the three priorities relates to drug and alcohol use. So we start right at the very high level. That's how we begin engaging. At the local level, there are you know, the RCMP is always open to meet with Indigenous government leadership. They're willing to meet with elected leaders. You know, when I speak with elected leaders in communities, it always appears to me that they have a good relationship with the RCMP. There's, you know, multiple meetings outside of the formalized meetings. So I think that if there are concerns about those groups not working together, all it takes is a phone call. I know that in the territory here, we you know, we like the RCMP to do what you call community policing, which is going out, getting to know the community, getting to know the leadership, and figuring out how to work in the community as opposed to just coming in and enforce laws. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's good information, thank you. Mr. Speaker, we need staff and staff that understands the region they work in. We need a positive and working relationship between the RCMP and the community leaders. Does the Government of the Northwest Territories provide cultural training for RCMP and ensure they are connected with community leadership? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So every time there's an incident anywhere in Canada not every time but when there are incidents in Canada that result in calls for additional RCMP training, it's often happened that that training then becomes mandatory for RCMP officers across the territory or across Canada. So there's actually quite a bit of training that officers are required to do to the point that it affects resourcing levels because we often have so many officers out taking training. So that is from the federal side. And the federal government is responsible for the operations of the RCMP. We do not delve into that; we can't. But the Government of the Northwest Territories does, of course, have our own program that all of the employees of the GNWT are required to take, Living Well Together. And the commanding officer of G Division here in the Northwest Territories has directed all of his staff to take that as well. So that's our contribution in terms of the cultural component. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we need collaboration; that is so very important. Can the Minister commit to have the head of the RCMP in Yellowknife meet with the community governments to discuss the illicit drug use in small communities, particularly the crack cocaine and other harmful drugs? Thank you.
Thank you. No, I can't. I don't have the authority to commit to the commanding officer. Our agreement with the Government of Canada is very clear that the GNWT does not direct the operations of the RCMP. However, the community government is more than welcome to reach out to the commanding officer and request a meeting. I know that he's still relatively new to the territory and is trying to get out to the communities and meet with everyone so it could be a good opportunity. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Recognizing the backlog of dental emergencies and challenges with oral health in the Northwest Territories, will the Minister of Health and Social Services commit to fast tracking the legislative changes to allow for dental hygienists to be recognized as professionals on their own and not have to work under a dentist just like the rest of Canada? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to note that dental hygienists are really on the frontline of oral health and prevention of decay, and they play a vital role in our healthcare system. They are currently, as the Member said, regulated under the Dental Auxiliaries Act. To date, Mr. Speaker, we haven't heard anything from the hygienists about wanting to be regulated under the Health and Social Services Professions Act. If they were to contact us, that would certainly assist us in prioritizing their request for change. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess what I'll do is I've raised this in the House many times and I know as part of some of the work that I've done in the past, I'll go back to some of the Indigenous leaders in my region which really found that this legislation was a barrier and then maybe that will help bump this along.
So, Mr. Speaker, the Minister confirmed in writing to me that health centres have the necessary information available for them that when they need to refer patients out for dental services, so this is all on a dental oral health concern, and you know, we've heard in the news again recently patients with dental access, general pain management, they require immediate attention. So my question is how much pain does a person need to be or how long do they need to be in pain before they would be eligible for this medical travel or travel to the nearest and available appointment because they do not have dentists and even when going to Inuvik for any other thing, the wait could be up to six months in my region just to get in for a cleaning. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the Member, and I'm sure she's aware that this program is a federal government program from Indigenous Services Canada. They're the ones who decide on who gets medical travel or what conditions that require medical travel. That is not something that I have any say in. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And again, thank you to the Minister for that. I am fully aware that this is an NHIB issue. But, again, as we as the territory, we do provide the travel to the communities. And when I've had talks with the NHIB, they have said well, it has to go through the government to approve the process. So what I'm saying is I guess, is there is a problem there and maybe we can meet on the side to have that discussion further. But, Mr. Speaker, the GNWT does put out the RFP for dental services travel costs to provide services to small communities in my region without dentists. And I believe this funding, again, comes from NHIB. Has this funding been increased to be able to provide more clinics to deal with the backlog due to COVID and if so, has there been an increase in the amount of visits to deal with the dental restorations emergency as well as keep up with the routine cleaning and checkups as well as to provide services in Inuvik because my constituents are feeling this because the dentists are all going out to the community now, and we can't get dentists. So this is a problem, and I would like to know if these have been increased. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services is currently negotiating with Indigenous Services Canada for the provision of services that they fund and we administer. The current agreement expires at the end of this month. So we hope to report soon that there are changes coming. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
All right. Thank you. Well, that's good to hear because the next one I just my next question might add to that.
So how does the GNWT deal with dental providers that are not balancing the preventative treatment in the communities because they may only have time or be focusing on the emergencies with the amount of funding that they're receiving to travel into these communities? And also and I'm not saying that this is happening but restorations, root canal, larger dental work costs more, and I know that the dentists do direct billing for the work that they do in there, and they may make more than just doing the cleanings and the checkups. So does the GNWT base the amounts provided in the RFP to cover what's needed for each community resident to be able to get the preventative treatment that they're entitled to as per NHIB dental, and are they providing the amount needed and is NHIB providing the amount needed? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have the level of detail that the Member is asking for, but I certainly can obtain that and get back to her. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I really do believe that the path to a fourday work week has to come through employees and employers. There are a few carrots and sticks the government can but, for today, I just have one question for the Premier. And does she agree that a fourday work week is awesome? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to say just yes, but the reality is you have to look at the individual situations. You have to look at employees, their needs, their desires. Some people prefer a fourday work week. Some people are workaholics, like myself, tend to work seven days a week. Other people only want to work one day a week. So it's looking at the person's interests. It's also looking at the employer's needs. Some agencies I have run agencies in my past in the NGO world where it was hard to get parttime people because we were open seven days a week. So I did move to a fourday work week. That way the parttime people could take threeday work weeks instead of two. So, again, Mr. Speaker, I think that it does depend on the needs and the desires of the employee and the employers and each situation is different. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
