Debbie DeLancey is a long-term northerner with many years of experience working for communities, Indigenous organizations, and governments in the Northwest Territories. She served as Deputy Minister, Health and Social Services, with the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) from September 2011 to October 2017. She also served as Deputy Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs with the GNWT for six years, and has held the positions of Deputy Minister, Human Resources and Associate Deputy Minister, Health and Social Services. During her tenure with the GNWT, Debbie led several major policy reform initiatives, including transferring responsibility for community public infrastructure funding and decision-making to NWT community governments, integrating health and social services authorities under one governance structure, and establishing an Indigenous Health and Community Wellness function in the health and social services system.
Prior to joining the GNWT, Ms. DeLancey worked with a number of Indigenous organizations, coordinating research and advocacy on major resource development projects, promoting community engagement in a pilot broadcasting project in Nunavut, and managing an Indigenous owned consulting firm specializing in participatory action research and traditional knowledge.
Debbie’s passions include supporting community wellness, championing the importance of land-based programming for Indigenous communities, and promoting effective program delivery through performance measurement and evaluation. She has received awards from the Canadian Evaluation Society, the NWT Association of Communities, the Local Government Administrators of the NWT, and the Government of the NWT.
Debbie also serves as a board member with the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, the Canadian Frailty Network, the Canadian Evaluation Society Alberta/NWT Chapter, and AVENS: A Community For Seniors in the NWT. She has previously served on other Boards, including the Mental Health Commission of Canada. She currently operates a small consulting business in Yellowknife.