Debates of June 16, 2016 (day 22)

Date
June
16
2016
Session
18th Assembly, 2nd Session
Day
22
Members Present
Hon. Glen Abernethy, Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Blake, Hon. Caroline Cochrane, Ms. Green, Hon. Jackson Lafferty, Hon. Bob McLeod, Hon. Robert McLeod, Mr. McNeely, Hon. Alfred Moses, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Nakimayak, Mr. O’Reilly, Hon. Wally Schumann, Hon. Louis Sebert, Mr. Simpson, Mr. Testart, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Vanthuyne
Topics
Statements

Question 246-18(2): Contract Midwifery Services in Yellowknife

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today we haven’t had the pleasure of hearing from the Minister of Health and Social Services, so I have a couple of questions for him. I understand that from previous discussions we’ve had here in the House that there’s a couple of midwifery consultants that have been hired to do some work to help design the territorial system. Can the Minister tell us when the contracts for those two individuals finish? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We tried to the last fiscal year to hire some positions and we weren’t able to get anybody until February 2015 is actually when I believe we were able to get those individuals into that position. I’ll have to confirm. I don’t believe they’re term positions, but I will confirm whether or not they are term, and if they are term what is the end date. I do believe they’re indeterminate at this point, but I will confirm. Thank you. Mr. Speaker.

I’ll be interested in getting the information from the Minister. If those positions are indeterminate, is there a way to roll those positions over into becoming full-time positions and supporting midwifery services in Yellowknife?

Mr. Speaker, anything’s possible, but we can’t really do anything until we actually have the program designed which is what we’ve hired these individuals to do. Given that they have the appropriate background, it may be appropriate to do so, but it would also depend on whether or not the incumbents were interested in doing that. There’s a lot of ifs here, Mr. Speaker, but we’re open to creativity.