Mr. Speaker, ensuring that every person in the Northwest Territories has access to safe, reliable, and equitable health care is not just a priority for me and a goal of our health and social services system, it is a promise we are working every day to uphold.
Today, I am honoured to share an update on an initiative that represents a turning point for health care in the North; work happening in the Dehcho Region that is helping us understand, in a deeply human way, what care truly looks and feels like for residents in our smallest communities.
Mr. Speaker, this initiative is part of our broader Primary Health Care Reform, an effort built on the voices of residents, health care workers, and Indigenous governments. It is guided by their experiences, their hopes, and their determination to see care delivered in a way that truly meets people where they are. Together, we are reimagining a health system that is connected, compassionate, and built to last; one that works for people, not just on paper.
To build that system, we must begin by listening, really listening, to those who rely on it most.
Over the past several months, teams have been visiting health cabin communities across the Dehcho region. They have been listening to residents, supporting local staff, and assessing how care flows from community clinics to regional centres and beyond. What we are learning is powerful; we see both the dedication of our staff and communities, and the barriers that stand in the way of the care people deserve.
We have heard about the frustrations caused by fragmented care and missed follow-ups, but we have also seen the strength of local teams who go above and beyond, and the resilience of residents who navigate these challenges.
Mr. Speaker, the next step in this journey is what we are calling Dehcho Patient Journey Mapping, a process that will follow the real experiences of four residents as they move through our system. Their stories will help us see the full picture: where care feels seamless, and where it breaks down.
These journeys will include an Elder seeking regular and routine primary care, a cancer patient who must travel frequently for treatment, a child and caregiver travelling from a small community to a regional centre for care, and a patient receiving specialized care in Edmonton. Each journey will be documented; not as a report or a statistic, but as a story of a person, a family, and a community.
Through these stories, we will see the system as our residents live it. Through their courage in sharing, we will be able to see where change is most needed and where it can happen right now.
This work will not just improve services in the Dehcho; it will help shape a more responsive and equitable health system across the entire Northwest Territories. It is about ensuring that people receive the care they need as close to home as possible; surrounded by family, culture, and community, and when travel for care is necessary, it must be delivered with the same compassion, dignity, and respect that every resident deserves, no matter where they live.
Mr. Speaker, this is how real transformation begins: with humility, with curiosity, and with the understanding that every journey through our health system represents someone’s story, someone’s loved one, someone’s life.
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the staff, the Indigenous governments, and the residents of the Dehcho Region who are helping guide this work. Your leadership, your insight, and your trust are the foundation of this change.
Together, we are not just improving a system. We are building one that reflects who we are as Northerners: resilient, compassionate, and committed to caring for one another.