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

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 94)

Thank you, committee. I will now rise and report progress.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 94)

I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Member for Frame Lake.

Question 907-19(2): Indigenous Hiring
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 94)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I go to my next question, I'm going to go back to this since the Minister has talked about the CNRTP program; I've brought this up in the past with the department. Will the Minister commit to having the hiring staff, the recruiting staff for this program, to go through some of those pools that we currently have in our HR department for any Indigenous applicants to see if they're interested. You know, they've put their resume in once already. You know, we should be utilizing those areas to see if we can bring these people into, like I said, a career in Justice...

Question 907-19(2): Indigenous Hiring
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 94)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Justice. The statistics from the public service annual report show that, again from my statement, from 2013 to 2021 Indigenous employment went down by 23 while nonIndigenous employees went up by 61 staff. The declining trend has continued during this Assembly.

Can the Minister explain the main reasons for declining Indigenous representation at the Department of Justice when we have had programs in place like the Indigenous Career Gateway, the Indigenous Management Development Program since 2018? Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 94)

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 23; Bill 29; Tabled Document 56119(2), 20222023 Main Estimates, and would like to report progress, and Mr. Speaker, I move that report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 94)

Thank you. There's a motion on the floor to report progress. Does committee agree?

Question 907-19(2): Indigenous Hiring
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 94)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister, and I hope it is happening. And, you know, I just wanted to say, like, to Mr. Speaker, when you and I toured the correctional facility here, one of the comments that I did make when we were there was that other than the warden at the time, there was not one other Indigenous employee that we saw while we did the tour. Every employee that we did see was and the counsellor. Just the two. And the warden is no longer there. So I just wanted to make that comment.

Can the Minister be bold and commit to issuing a ministerial directive to instruct...

Question 907-19(2): Indigenous Hiring
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 94)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of our committee's government operations has had presentations from human resources on the Indigenous recruitment and retention framework, and each department must create a plan. So what is the plan specifically at Justice to reverse these trends? And I know he says that we're going up, but we should have a plan to make sure that number stays where it's going up and continues so that we have a representative government in Justice. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 93)

Thank you. There's a motion on the floor to rise and report progress. Does committee agree?

Member’s Statement on Goals of the 19th Legislative Assembly
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 93)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome my colleagues back and Happy New Year as this is the first time we've all had all the members together in person since December.

I'd like to also welcome and congratulate our new colleague, Mr. Edjericon, on your successful election, and I look forward to working together for the remainder of our term for the people of the Northwest Territories.

To my constituents who have come to me with all their concerns throughout the last couple years and questioned some of my decisions that I have brought forward, thank you, and I am your voice in...