Mr. Speaker, last week the Department of Health and Social Services hosted the second ever Weaving our Wisdom gathering for which 350 leaders, elders, and knowledgeholders from across the Northwest Territories came together to celebrate and share Indigenous communitydriven wellness knowledge. The gathering featured inspiring guest speakers, workshops, facilitated discussions on important topics such as:
Frameworks for total health optimization;
The impact of colonization and systemic racism on Indigenous people's health;
Practical strategies to heal the wounds of intergenerational trauma;
Indigenous models for suicide prevention;
Climate change's impacts on wellness;
New ideas to develop trauma healing programs for families; and finally,
Innovation around the future of Indigenous health, community wellness, and landbased healing.
The gathering showcased the resilience of Indigenous peoples spotlighting their interconnected knowledge systems that have been sustained and developed across generations. Community wellness participants explored the gathering's themes of:
Culture and care;
Selfrecognition and healing;
Community care and wellness; and,
Landbased healing.
In addition to the main agenda, three specialized programs were crafted for participants who identified as Indigenous youth, Indigenous men, and elders. The Indigenous Youth Wellness Program encouraged youth to develop skills and access resources and teachings that will help them take control of their wellness. The Indigenous Men's Wellness Program began a conversation which effectively lays out the issues northern Indigenous men face in accessing health care, wellness programming, and healing. The Indigenous Elders' Wellness Program uncovered ways to better honour elders so that they can be happy, healthy, and living well in their communities.
The priorities for the Indigenous health and wellness identified through this gathering, and through indepth public engagements in all 33 NWT communities, will form the foundation for the community wellness initiatives and northern wellness agreement with Indigenous Services Canada. The identified priorities will inform the future work of our health and social services system and will also assist a wholeofgovernment understanding of how the determinants of wellness such as housing, climate change, poverty, early childhood development, education, and selfdetermination can impact Indigenous people.
Mr. Speaker, to help achieve these goals for the health and wellbeing of Indigenous people in the Northwest Territories, the Government of the Northwest Territories must innovate and design systems directly addressing longstanding systemic racism.
I want to thank the Indigenous women and their teams who hosted and organized the Weaving our Wisdom gathering, for their work in leading this important system assessment and in aiding the development of antiracism initiatives.
Much of the heavy lifting was done by the community, culture and innovation division and the cultural safety and antiracism division of the Department of Health and Social Services, who work at the forefront of equity, cultural safety, and antiracism. They are primarily staffed with Indigenous employees and people of colour and are located not only in Yellowknife but also in Inuvik, Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope, Fort Simpson, and Fort Smith.
I encourage everyone listening today to check out some of the videos, and images from this wonderful event will be on my Facebook page. It truly was a week to remember.
Mr. Speaker, I am compelled to share the profound impact of attending the feast and drum dance at the end of the Weaving our Wisdom gathering. Witnessing the vibrance and the unity of over 350 wellness leaders, elders, and knowledgeholders from across the Northwest Territories was a powerful and prideful experience for me. I think for everyone in attendance. The celebration not only showcased the resilience of Indigenous people but also highlighted the interconnected knowledge system that has sustained us across generations. It was inspiring to see so many individuals come together to celebrate and to share Indigenous wellness, weaving traditional practices into our health care system. This gathering has not only set the foundation for future initiatives, but it also reinforced the importance of cultural engagement in pursuit of a holistic health for NWT residents.
Mr. Speaker, later today at the appropriate time I will recognize this outstanding team for their incredible work on the planning and organization of this amazing gathering. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.
