Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker, access to primary and community health care matters to people across the Northwest Territories. It affects whether someone can get help when they need it, how supported they feel when managing ongoing health needs, and whether care reflects who they are, where they live, and what matters to them. Most importantly, it can support residents on their health and wellness journey.

Residents have told us they want health care that is easier to access, more connected, and culturally safe.

Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table the Primary and Community Health Care Framework.

This Framework sets a long-term direction for how primary and community health care will evolve across the Northwest Territories in close collaboration with Indigenous governments, health providers and residents.

Mr. Speaker, primary care reform is not new. For many years, health care providers have worked to improve access, strengthen continuity of care, and make services more culturally safe.

What has often been missing is a shared direction that brings those efforts together. This Framework provides that direction.

It recognizes that communities across the Northwest Territories are diverse and that no single model of care will work everywhere. Instead, it establishes a common foundation to guide future planning, and co-design with Indigenous governments through existing partnership tables.

The Framework is organized around three interconnected areas of focus.

First, Indigenous cultures are at the centre. This means creating a health care system where Indigenous knowledge, traditional healing, and cultures are weaved into the design and delivery. Indigenous self-determination also means supporting clients to make informed choices and  focusing on prevention and community wellness.

Second, are interconnected care models. This means strengthening team-based care, improving coordination between providers and the services they offer, and building a culturally safe and representative workforce.

The third, Mr. Speaker, focuses on a system that learns and is accountable. It emphasizes policies and decisions informed by the experiences of residents and communities, while supporting intergenerational healing. It supports stronger accountability, Indigenous data sovereignty, and the use of evidence and Indigenous knowledge to improve quality and trust.  

Mr. Speaker, the Framework also identifies the conditions needed to support meaningful and lasting change. These include strong governance, a stable and supported workforce, sustainable funding approaches, and modern data and digital systems.

This work has been shaped through collaboration with Indigenous communities, health care providers, clients, and the NWT Council of Leaders health and social services working group. It reflects lessons learned and innovation from communities across the Northwest Territories, evidence from leading practices across Canada, and the experience of those who deliver and receive care.

Mr. Speaker, success means stronger continuity of care and relationships with providers who know residents, their families, and their communities. It means care that is better connected and easier to navigate, including during referrals, transitions between providers, and medical travel. Most importantly, success means building a health system that people trust.

Transforming primary and community health care cannot be accomplished by this government alone. This Framework establishes how the health system designs care with, for, and by Indigenous peoples, and promotes an organizational culture that continuously learns, adapts and improves based on the experiences of clients, communities, and frontline staff.

Mr. Speaker, the Primary and Community Health Care Framework provides a North Star for that work ahead. It establishes a shared direction towards a more connected, relationship-based and culturally safe system that reflects the strengths, cultures, and realities of the Northwest Territories.

I would like to thank the hundreds of staff, Indigenous leaders, health care providers, clients, and national partners whose expertise, and commitment helped shape this work. 

Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.