Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services about the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. It has been pretty much out of commission since the springtime when members weren’t reappointed.
I would like to ask the Minister, what are the plans for restoring the board of governors at the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s no question that there is an important role for regional boards to play in ensuring that local culture and language are reflected in program delivery and that also the concerns of the communities are heard. We do need to find a solution to this problem.
The boards were originally put in place when the responsibility for Health and Social Services devolved down to the GNWT. At that time, we heard clearly the communities and the people want to be heard. As we know, as I have heard from both Member Menicoche and Blake, it’s not working exactly right and there are certainly some challenges. We need to make some changes to the system if we are going to provide best care to our residents. That’s the bottom line, it’s about the individual patient and/or client.
We need to find a way forward. I have an opportunity to talk to the public administrator for the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. I understand that the public administrator is going to be doing a tour through the communities to get some feedback from all residents of the community and all residents of the region on how to move forward. I am looking forward to working with the Member and with the public administrator to find a way to help us meet that objective. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I did my fall tour and I spoke with the leadership and the people in my riding. There is only one thing worse than knowing, it’s not knowing. The people don’t know when they are going to get the board back, what the plans are for it. I think it’s important that the administrator does get out to the communities. It is also more important that the department also communicate their plans through public consultations.
The other important thing is that many rumours abound because of not knowing.
I would like to know from the Minister of Health and Social Services about the hiring of the CEO position in Fort Simpson, that it’s going to be done under the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. Thank you.
I would certainly like to sit down with the Member and have that conversation. We do have a hiring practice and procedures that we utilize here in the Government of the Northwest Territories and our authorities. The public administrator will play a key role in the recruitment and retention of a CEO for that health authority. I look forward to having discussions with both the public administrator and the Member on how we’re going to move forward with that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, then the Minister can probably clarify for me, because what I heard is that the Deh Cho Health and Social Services will have its own CEO. I’m hoping that position is the same as it was before, established in Fort Simpson to deliver health to the people of the Deh Cho from a local central body from Fort Simpson. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, that’s the way it is now. We actually have an acting CEO in the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. As I indicated, I believe we will be moving forward and I look forward to working with the public administrator to see exactly how that’s going to work out. I will keep the Member informed and I’ll have more discussions with the Member as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much. Once the Minister works with the public administrator in establishing dates, I’d certainly like to be informed. Should I be available, I would certainly like to attend those meetings as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. More of a comment. Oh, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know the Member knows who the public administrator is. I encourage the Member to talk to the public administrator about maybe participating in some of those tours. I also know that the former Minister of Health and Social Services made a commitment to the Member to go into the community and have a public meeting in Fort Simpson with the entire region and I’m going to live up to that commitment. We’re going to work out the dates. It would likely be after the public administrator has finished his tour, but I look forward to coming to your community and having the discussion around the authority and how things will move forward with your community once we get some dates confirmed after the public administrator has finished his tour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
