Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with any new process that rolls out, I think in any department, there are always some difficulties. The process right now currently and the concern is that there are slots available for booked appointments. There's a number of people that they can do as same-day appointments, and then what happens is is that if you arrive earlier enough on time they'll let you know that they've only got enough space for walk-ins and they don't want you to -- like, they'll tell you that. And so it's not that there isn't walk-ins. And so we're not going to review the program...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act and Smoking Control and Reduction Act Three-Year Annual Report 2020-2023. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said, the program is ongoing. There are small changes that are being implemented as we move along. You know, we'll continue to hear from the Members and the constituents but from the other side too is that people are grateful that they're able to have appointments, they can preschedule them, they're triaging those that are going in early in the morning that are fasting. You know, there's different things that are going on. They're working with their -- you know, within the authority to make sure that prioritizing blood work gets booked in. So there are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, you know, this is a new program, so we've gone out publicly saying this is a new program. What this program has done is over the past month that it's been rolled out, we have seen 200 more patients this last month than we normally do in the lab in Yellowknife and so because there's changes, because, you know, there's certain things -- before we were getting a lot more complaints that there wasn't some structure, there wasn't time to book appointments, there wasn't same-day appointments in the lab, so right now what they're working on is ensuring that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've committed to reviewing the entire medical travel policy and looking at all the different things and those are -- I think that is important. But the other part of it is, you know, we hear the concerns, and this is not -- I was on the other side, and I raised many concerns on medical travel. But the understanding of the different programs that medical travel is, so if we're looking for an escort, if they are NIHB, then that doesn't fall -- the escort criteria doesn't fall upon GNWT to approve that exception if it doesn't fall exactly. If it's GNWT, then...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the timeline of the medical travel policy, because of the enormous amount of work that's going to take and collaboration and consultation in the Northwest Territories when we roll -- like, once we start may take -- you know, it could take the life of this government to get it right. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, I can't speak to individual cases that are, you know, throughout the territory, and Inuvik being so small that I wouldn't want to speak to individually making a decision. Our medical travel policy is to assist patients from the Northwest Territories to travel. And I hear the Member that if the Member is away at college, then the travel is already there and I hear what the Member is saying, and, yes, I am a mother and I've traveled many times that I've paid my own way because of, you know, a lot of things. And I'm still covering some costs for some...

Yes, most definitely. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very much in favour on completing the genderbased analysis. At this time, the majority of the health forms have been completed, including an identification of steps needed to make the health forms more gender inclusive. And we are near the completion of this, and the new health information system, the department will finalize its review of the needed revisions to the health forms and the legislation that needs (audio).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to remind Members of the funding made available by the Department of Health and Social Services supporting the delivery of communitybased programs focused on mental wellness and addiction recovery. These funds were created in response to engagement with Indigenous governments in which they asked the GNWT to provide more flexible funding that could be used to run programs in their own communities and regions that would be responsive to the needs of Indigenous people.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the Department of Health and Social Services in our...