Lesa Semmler

Member Inuvik Twin Lakes

Minister of Health and Social Services

Lesa Semmler currently serves as the Member representing Inuvik Twin Lakes in the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, having been re-elected to the position. Born in Yellowknife, NT, and raised in Inuvik, where she still resides, Ms. Semmler has deep roots in the Northwest Territories. 

A Registered Nurse, Ms. Semmler graduated from the Aurora College Northern Nursing Program in 2000 and earned her Community Health Nurse Certification from the Canadian Nurses Association in 2008. With 15 years of frontline nursing experience at the Inuvik Regional Hospital, she focused on Acute Care, Homecare, and Public Health. Her career also included roles as the Manager of Acute Care Services and eventually the Regional Manager of Acute Care Services under the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority. Notably, she served as the Inuvialuit Health System Navigator at the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, assisting Inuvialuit Beneficiaries in navigating the healthcare system. 

Beyond her healthcare career, Ms. Semmler has actively contributed to education and community service. She served on the Inuvik District Education Authority, assuming the role of Chair from 2015 to 2018, and chaired the Beaufort Delta Education Council. Ms. Semmler participated in various working groups at the territorial and national levels, including the Inuit Tuberculosis Elimination Board and the Inuit Midwifery Revitalization. Her commitment to social justice is evident in her voluntary work as a member of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Family Advisory Circle, where she worked to ensure northern voices were heard and represented. Lesa Semmler's life and career reflect her passion for healthcare, education, and advocating for the well-being of her community.

Inuvik Twin Lakes Electoral District

Committees

Lesa Semmler
Inuvik Twin Lakes
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Constituency Office

125 Mackenzie Rd
Unit 203
Inuvik NT X0E 0T0
Canada

P.O. Box
3130
Minister
Minister of Health and Social Services

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 49)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, currently the Northwest Territories has 35 registered veterinarians, Mr. Speaker -- registered veterinarians which include those who visit the Northwest Territories to provide locum service when needed. I know that of 33 communities, our smaller communities are overrun, I hear from my colleague to the next of me, in her communities the dogs are, you know -- and so these services that are coming into our region are not just for our sick dogs but our dogs that are here that need just basic vaccines, neutering and spaying. You know, we have a lot of partners...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 49)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Member has stated, the Veterinary Profession Act does fall under one of the -- under my portfolio; however, it does not speak to records. It doesn't -- and so what happens usually individuals in southern jurisdictions for the owner of a veterinary clinic to be practicing, the veterinarian -- and they usually are the ones that have control over all the records. So in the circumstances that the Member -- you know, unfortunately, we've all seen in the news and everything with the Great Slave clinic shutting down, you know, there is some uncertainty of...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 49)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do not have that level of detail for that specific area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 49)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we are rolling out primary care reform and we only are piloting it in certain regional centres, but those ones that we are, I will see if they have the stats available as thisb is within this last year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 49)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am unsure right now what those wait times are. That's not something that I have here with me in the House. So if the Member, you know, wants to bring this questioning up again another day, then I would be more than willing to try and get those answers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 49)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think a lot of our legislation is old and, you know, as we prioritize getting through some of the legislation that we have, I will make sure that this is added to the list and to triage it as we do all the other legislation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 49)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So for switching the line of questioning with how accessing the primary care clinic, there is a process that there -- that each clinic runs throughout the whole of the Northwest Territories. How it is in Yellowknife, you know, the process of the accessing the walk-in clinic or creating a same-day appointment downtown, if it's primary care clinic you have to go through the primary care receptionist. If there's more detail or if there's a certain concern, I would have -- gladly have the Member bring that to my office and so we can figure out what the issue is. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 49)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is the first time that this has been brought to my attention, so I don't have any answers for the Member at this time on wait times for ultrasound. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 48)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, and I would also like the Member if he wishes to bring the certain instance directly to my attention at my office so we can deal with that resident immediately. Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 48)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not going to -- you know, I want to highlight, you know, within the Inuvialuit region they have the Inuvialuit on-the-land camp that they have structured. We've heard and we've seen in the news the Gwich'in camp that they've created. Those are funding that they work bilaterally, a lot of that with the federal government, with some money over the years from GNWT. The Tlicho has recently gone to the federal government for their polysubstance use funding from the feds. There's many pots of funding out there so that Indigenous communities can build. We have...