Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services and follow up on my Member’s statement from earlier today where I asked that the Minister direct his department to do some research and provide some options for consideration by all Members of the 17th Assembly with respect to autism programming in the Northwest Territories. Currently, there is nothing dedicated to children with autism, and I think with the increasing rates of autism, it’s time that we take that proactive step and implement some programs for northern children here in the North with autism.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue of autism, as the Member indicates, is one where there is a concern. There are a significant number of individuals affected. As we plan for our transition into the 17th Assembly, each department, including Health, will be pulling together the list of issues to be considered and priorities to be addressed, and this will be on that list as decisions are made to look at what’s possible with the resources that are available.
I’m quite pleased to hear that autism and programs in the North for autistic children will be on the transition document going into the 17th Assembly. What I was asking is that the Minister is going to be the Minister for the next couple of months, regardless of the election. There’s a great opportunity for the Minister to direct his staff to start doing some research into the alternate programs that exist in southern Canada. Every jurisdiction in this country offers programming for autistic children except the Northwest Territories. I’m asking that he in the interim have his department start doing the research and pulling together some facts and information and preparing some quality analysis of what’s out there so that we or the future 17th Assembly can make some informed decisions on autism programming here in the Northwest Territories.
Some of that work is already being done or has been done at headquarters. It is an issue that I, as well, am familiar with. I do have recollections of dealing with it when I was Minister previously. I’ll commit to the Member that that information update is available.
I look forward to receiving an update on the research that they’ve already done.
Once again, this is an incredibly changing field. More information is coming forward all the time. We’re learning new things about autism. New programs are being developed. I’m asking the Minister to go out and research some of the new programs that exist. I know that in Alberta they’re doing very proactive and productive things. I’d like the Minister to commit to having... I did provide the Minister, as an example, with a large list of programs that are offered in Alberta, and I would like the Minister to have his department look into those programs and provide a bit of analysis on what aspects of those programs might be doable here in the Northwest Territories, given our limited financial situation, and which ones can and can’t. I’m looking forward to a commitment from the Minister to actually look at some of the program areas that I did provide to him.
As I indicated, there is some work being done, and I do thank the Member for all the work that he did pull together. Of equal importance, I believe, and I know that there are very many capable people that I know who are dealing with autism with family members, that I think of equal value would be to find out what kind of supports could be put in place within the resources available to assist them. I know that over the years they’ve done an incredible amount of good work. Just on their own, often with little or no support from government, and they’ve amassed a very, very valuable amount of information and experience. It would be helpful to see how things could be done better in the North.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with the Minister. There are a lot of good things that some of the private citizens of this territory have done. We still have citizens who are looking for services in the Northwest Territories and they’re not finding anything that suits their child’s needs.
I did provide the Minister -- as I indicated in my last question -- a large list of different program areas that are new, and unique, and cutting edge in Alberta. I know that some of these organizations would be willing to come up here and help. I am just asking the Minister to commit in his reviewing, to actually contact some of these organizations, and have some of these organizations and his department look at some of the alternatives that exist that may not have existed when they did their original analysis. It’s a simple question. Will he commit to having his department look at some of these alternatives? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I was under the impression that I committed to two things: to look at the information that the Member provided, as well of equal importance to look at what Northerners have learned and what experiences they have amassed and the things they have been able to do in a very, very effective way here in the North. I think there should be a combination of the two. So, yes, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
