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

Inuvik Twin Lakes
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Phone
(867) 767-9143
Extension
12195
Constituency Office

198 Mackenzie Rd
Unit 123
Inuvik NT X0E 0T0
Canada

P.O. Box
3130
Constituency Phone
867-678-2429
Minister
Email
Email
Minister of Health and Social Services

Statements in Debates

Committee Report 31-19(2): Report on Bill 40: An Act to Amend the Medical Profession Act
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 115)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The committee considered several motions that would improve Bill 40, including removing the virtual care register, and adding a requirement to consult with the medical professional community before proposing regulations concerning standards of practice.

Committee members noted the strong endorsement of an exception to registration to continue virtual care with referral and to allow the Minister to enter into agreements that would exempt care practitioners from licensing in the NWT and permit them to provide virtual care services to NWT residents. To this effect...

Committee Motion 242-19(2): Committee Report 29-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the Languages Commissioner for the Northwest Territories Annual Report 2020-2021 – Government Response to Recommendations, Ca
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 115)

Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion?

Committee Motion 241-19(2): Committee Report 29-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the Languages Commissioner for the Northwest Territories Annual Report 2020-2021 – Public Bodies’ Response to Recommendatio
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 115)

Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion?

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 114)

In favour.

Oral Question 1103-19(2): Inuvik Shelters
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 114)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I guess my final supplementary question to this Minister is where's our homeless strategy? It was promised in the 18th Assembly. The Minister has said on repeated occasions, when asked by Members of this side of the House, when are we going to see it, it'll be the oh, it'll be ready the next session, next session. We haven't seen it. Where is this homelessness strategy and when can we expect to see this strategy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral Question 1103-19(2): Inuvik Shelters
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 114)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The cost of running the shelter over the winter has, I think if the last numbers that I received from the Minister, have almost quadrupled from what their funding is normally is. So I'm just wondering if the RFP is put out now and the Indigenous groups are going to run it and they come back with an amount that doesn't meet what the budget used to be, because this is the issue that I raised with the Minister even when we met with in our community in my community, what are we going are we going to continue to is Housing Corporation going to continue to run these...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 114)

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize Hailey Kudlak and Zandria BlakeAndreBernhardt. They are two pages from the riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes. And they'll be with us all week. Thank you.

Committee Report 27-19(2): Special Committee on Reconciliation Indigenous Affairs Interim Report: What We Heard About the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Negotiating Agreements
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 114)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The special committee's interim report was read into the record during the last sitting on Wednesday, March 30th, 2022, by the deputy chair. This Assembly has tasked the Special Committee on Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs to seek and encourage discussion and recommendations on opportunities and challenges in meeting two specific Assembly priorities:

Advance resolution of Aboriginal rights, negotiations, and

Implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.

For the past year, this special committee heard from academic and law experts on the...

Committee Report 30-19(2): Report on the Review of the 2020-2021 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 114)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The IPC’s annual report drew attention to the role of mobile handheld devices in several privacy breaches.

Review Report 20242 investigated one such breach. An education official recorded a video, using a personal mobile device, of a teacher and students. The official uploaded the video to a government server that others could access, ostensibly for training purposes. The official did not seek or obtain consent from anyone in the video.

The IPC identified a key factor in this breach: "The absence of any policy direction for the use of such personal devices in the...

Oral Question 1103-19(2): Inuvik Shelters
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 114)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So that brings me back to my initial thought, question, is what is going to happen to the homeless shelters in Inuvik if nobody bids on these RFPs? Like, I'm looking at the RFP. I've received an email from past board members about the RFP and how strict and how many things that they're asking for. We know that there's gonna be ongoing issues. So what is Housing Corporation going to do now that they've assumed operations? They have assumed. These boards are no longer there. They're dissolved. They've closed up their books. So what is Housing Corporation going to do? Or...