Yukon Legislative Assembly Issue 1 35th Legislature STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS Public Proceedings: Evidence Wednesday, August 18, 2021 — 1:30 p.m. Chair: Currie Dixon STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS Chair: Currie Dixon Vice-Chair: Kate White Members: Scott Kent Hon. Jeanie McLean Hon. Richard Mostyn Clerk: Allison Lloyd, Clerk of Committees Witnesses: Department of Health and Social Services Stephen Samis, Deputy Minister Shehnaz Ali, Assistant Deputy Minister, Social Services Cameron Grandy, Acting Director, Mental Wellness and Substance Use Services Sonya Parsons, Director, Human Resources August 18, 2021 STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS 1-1 EVIDENCE their personal questions on a particular subject but those of the Whitehorse, Yukon entire Committee. Wednesday, August 18, 2021 — 1:30 p.m. After the hearing, the Committee will prepare a report of its proceedings, including any recommendations that the Chair (Mr. Dixon): I will now call to order this hearing Committee wishes to make. This report will be tabled in the of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts of the Yukon Legislative Assembly. Legislative Assembly. Before we start the hearing, I would like to ask that The Public Accounts Committee is established by Standing questions and answers be kept brief and to the point so that we Order 45(3) of the Standing Orders of the Yukon Legislative may deal with as many issues as possible in the time allotted Assembly. This standing order says: “At the commencement of for this hearing. the first Session of each Legislature a Standing Committee on I would like to also ask that Committee members and Public Accounts shall be appointed and the Public Accounts witnesses wait until they are recognized by the Chair before and all Reports of the Auditor General shall stand referred speaking. This will keep the discussion more orderly and will automatically and permanently to the said Committee as they allow those listening on the radio or over the Internet to know become available.” who is speaking. On May 17, 2021, the Yukon Legislative Assembly We will now proceed with Mr. Samis’ opening statement. adopted Motion No. 11, which established the current Public Mr. Samis, go ahead. Accounts Committee. In addition to appointing members to the Mr. Samis: Good afternoon. As Deputy Minister of the Committee, the motion stipulated that the Committee shall Department of Health and Social Services, I am pleased to “have the power to call for persons, papers and records and to appear before the Public Accounts Committee to respond to the sit during intersessional periods.” performance audit conducted by the Auditor General of Canada Today, pursuant to Standing Order 45(3) and Motion that was provided to the Yukon Legislative Assembly on No. 11, the Committee will investigate the Auditor General of June 7, 2021. Canada’s report entitled: Report of the Auditor General of I would like to start by introducing the key officials from Canada to the Legislative Assembly of Yukon — Mental Health my department who are here with me today. To my left is Services in Rural Yukon — Department of Health and Social Shehnaz Ali, assistant deputy minister of Social Services; to my Services. immediate right, Cameron Grandy, acting director of Mental I would like to thank the witnesses from the Department of Wellness and Substance Use Services; and on my far right, Health and Social Services for appearing today. I believe Sonya Parsons, director of Human Resources. Deputy Minister Stephen Samis will introduce these witnesses We will respond to your questions to the best of our ability. during his opening remarks. If you require additional information or greater detail than we I will now introduce the members of the Public Accounts can provide at the moment, we will be prepared to have it sent Committee. My name is Currie Dixon. I’m the Chair of the to you without delay. Committee and the Member of the Legislative Assembly for I know that we will explore many of the issues further as Copperbelt North. To my left is Kate White, who is the we go through this process today. However, I would like to — Committee’s Vice-Chair and the Member for Takhini-Kopper and thank you, Mr. Chair — make some initial remarks in King. To her left is the Hon. Jeanie McLean, Member for response to the Auditor General’s report, which focused on Mountainview. To her left is Scott Kent, Member of the three main themes and made four recommendations. Legislative Assembly for Copperbelt South. Finally, behind Firstly, we want to recognize that we thank the OAG for me, is the Hon. Richard Mostyn, Member for Whitehorse West. the audit and the recommendations that will support the The Public Accounts Committee is an all-party committee department in continuous improvement in the provision of with a mandate to ensure economy, efficiency, and these important services to Yukoners. The overall findings of effectiveness in public spending — in other words, the audit team were positive. Indeed, as stated in paragraph 18 accountability for the use of public funds. of the report, the auditors determined that the Department of The purpose of this public hearing is to address issues of Health and Social Services successfully increased access to the implementation of policies — whether programs are being mental health services in rural communities during the time effectively and efficiently delivered — and not to question the frame of the audit from May 5, 2016 to September 1, 2020. This policies of the Government of Yukon. In other words, our task success is due to a great deal of hard work, structural and is not to challenge government policy but to examine its cultural change within the department, and a strong focus on implementation. The results of our deliberations will be collaboration and working in partnership with community reported back to the Legislative Assembly. partners, particularly Yukon First Nations. The auditors To begin the proceedings, Mr. Samis will make an opening included a number of areas in which our department has statement on behalf of the Department of Health and Social improved the provision of mental health and substance use Services. Committee members will then ask questions. As is the services in rural Yukon, thanks to the hub model and increased Committee’s practice, the members devise and compile the collaboration with local communities and First Nations. questions collectively. We then divide them up among the We noted many areas where the auditors provided positive members. The questions that each member will ask are not just findings that provide learnings for the department for future 1-2 STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS August 18, 2021 work. While there are numerous instances, I would like to The final paragraph of the audit report notes that the highlight several for you today. creation of the Population and Public Health Evidence and In the area of identifying need, the auditors note in Evaluation branch is clear evidence of our department’s paragraph 21 that the department “… conducted research and commitment to strengthen and improve our use of data and consultations with various stakeholders to identify and evaluation. This is a new team that is working closely with understand the mental health service needs of rural residents.” MWSU to determine appropriate performance measures and Following on the needs identification, the auditors reporting for mental health and substance use services recognized that we created a needs-based service delivery throughout the Yukon. This was a key recommendation of the model — the mental wellness and substance use hubs. independent expert panel on the Putting People First report and Paragraphs 31 and 32 state that the auditors “… found that one that we were quick to enact to enable us to improve our the department’s model incorporated research on approaches evaluation and performance measurement. from … across Canada with the results of its previous needs I would like to thank the auditors for their work. We assessments and consultations…” and “… also found that the appreciate their recommendations and are moving forward and department worked with Yukon First Nations, stakeholders, continuing to improve the provision of mental wellness and and other community members in developing its hub model.” substance use services to rural Yukoners. The development and implementation of the mental I will have other generalized comments to make, but I can wellness and substance community hubs has increased access make those as we go through the recommendations, and my to mental health and substance use services in rural colleagues and I look forward to today’s conversation. communities, and this was recognized by the auditors in the Chair: Thank you, Mr. Samis. We will now proceed section entitled: “The department increased access to rural with questions from members of the Committee, and they will mental health services”. They also note that: “The hubs gave proceed randomly, based on our allocation of these questions rural Yukoners access to services … in their communities or in previously. closer proximity than what was available in the past…” and that To begin, Kate White, Vice-Chair, will ask the first few the department finally “… increased access to mental health questions. services by integrating 3 separate services into 1 overall Ms. White: Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the service…” — a “one-stop shop” that has a single intake witnesses for appearing today. Just for folks listening, the process.