Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is only day two of this dreadful affair and I am asking the department, or the Stanton Yellowknife Hospital Board, to expedite this as quickly as we can. I cannot give a definite date as to when this will be undertaken, but be assured that it will be done without unnecessary delay. The findings of this report will be made public, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to make it clear that it is not Dr. Kinloch that is going to coordinate this. Mr. Speaker, I am trying to explain that what I am doing here is -- in the interim and until the independent, outside individual can be brought onto this matter -- explain that someone will be available. It does not have to be Dr. Kinloch -if the Member would like to give me some suggestions. I tried to assure the Member earlier that if there are other suggestions -- this is only to make it easier for the public to be able to -- while the information is news and while the information is of concern now -- have somebody to contact. Dr. Kinloch is not going to be co-ordinating the review. This is going to be done by an independent individual. It is merely to have a point of contact within the department that the public can get hold of to express a concern. They can do this through the Status of Women Council or through their ordinary Member. They can call me. But, I was only trying to be helpful in suggesting a name. If there is any disagreement by Members as to whom I have chosen, we could deal with that. I want to assure you that it is not Dr. Kinloch who is going to co-ordinate the review. He will cease to be involved in it as soon as the independent individual is selected to do the review. It is only as a contact point. The review by an outside agency will be totally independent of Stanton Hospital Board members and totally independent of all medical people here in the Territories, as I understand it, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I will undertake that. If I have been understood -- I thought my previous answer, as long as it may have been, was to explain what Dr. Kinloch's involvement would be. I will review Hansard, of course. If that is the impression that I have created, then I want it to be clear now that when I say independent, I mean independent. I was only trying to be helpful in having somebody there as a point of contact to keep this issue going and to restore public confidence that we are not going to

delay unnecessarily, and that we have somebody there that will listen to the concerns until such time as an independent, outside agency has been contacted and is on to undertake this review. I wanted someone there to look after the public's concerns. That responsibility will cease soon thereafter.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Any meetings that have taken place were done within a few hours of this moment here. But, prior to yesterday, I am not aware of any meetings taking place between the executive director, the Status of Women Council and the department in any official capacity. There is no indication that any official complaints have been raised with our department by the executive director of the Status of Women Council, nor has that person contacted me. Any meetings that have taken place were done within the last five, six, seven or eight hours or something. A lot has been happening this very day, sir.

Mr. Speaker, I have been asked a lot of questions today, and in all honesty and sincerity, and with great sympathy for the people that may have concerns

with medical procedures that are taking place, I have answered truthfully, honestly and as best I could. I cannot, in all sincerity, answer the honourable Member's question.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my experience, patients have been handled with all the care and tenderness that a medical profession can apply. From my own experience, the dentists ask far too many times, *Does this hurt?" When I was at the hospital, the doctor that cared for me when I had kidney stones, asked more than once whether I was okay and made every effort to make me comfortable. I am assured by my own experience that the medical profession do everything to make the patient comfortable, to make the procedure as less traumatic as possible under those trying circumstances.

I can only assure the honourable Member that the medical profession go out of their way, in most cases, to ensure that the best quality of medical treatment is given to patients here in the NWT under our health care system. I cannot imagine anyone wanting to apply any techniques that are going to cause unnecessary comfort to somebody, knowingly and willingly doing that. I want to assure the public that in my experience, I am assured this is not the case. The patients are given, in most cases, a questionnaire to complete prior to and after any services that have been received at a hospital. They have avenues of presenting any concerns. It certainly should be first to their physician but failing that, to any other Member of this House. Surely the patients could have got a hold of any Member and given specifics and names and times and stuff like that and the Members would have brought this to my attention. They could have come to me; I would have dealt with it then or the department, through a process.

But I keep hearing of all of these cases and Mr. Speaker, I tell you I have not seen, and the department has not received, any formal complaints from the Status of Women Council or other member of the public that indicate there is a torturous procedure taking place in our hospitals and should not be condoned. I am asking that this be looked into and to assure the public and restore confidence in our medical practices here in the NWT, that they are not doing things here that are not standard and not in the best interests of the patient.

I know that it is a very delicate issue. It is something that I have absolutely no way of knowing, the discomfort and humiliation and anything else that goes with having an abortion. It is either by choice or else through some accident. But I am sure the doctors there, and I have been assured by the medical profession, that every effort is made to make the patient as comfortable as they can be under these trying and traumatic times.