Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is with great pleasure that I rise today to inform this House of the formation of Kiguti Dental Services. Kiguti Dental Services is a joint venture between the Tapiriit Development Corporation of the Keewatin and the Adam Dental Clinic out of Yellowknife and lqaluit.
Mr. Speaker, one of the most exciting aspects of this development is its marriage of dental care expertise, as provided by the staff of the Adam Dental Clinic, and strong Inuit participation as provided by the Tapiriit Development Corporation.
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Mr. Speaker, up to now dental services have been provided from the South and, to put it bluntly, teeth in the Keewatin are in bad shape. With the formation of Kiguti Dental Services, Inuit will no longer. be merely patients; they will play an integral role in the decision-making process.
Kiguti Dental Services will begin operating at the end of this month with a staff of nine residing in Rankin Inlet. This means dental services will now be provided by residents rather than outsiders. It also means tax revenues will belong to the Northwest Territories, rather than Manitoba, and that additional jobs will be created in Rankin Inlet as local businesses provide logistic services.
I should also point out that the switch to these dental services from those provided out of Manitoba will not add any additional costs to the health care system in the Northwest Territories. In fact, Mr. Speaker, Kiguti will operate as a non-profit organization and any surplus revenues will be used to improve the state of dental health care in the Keewatin.
I think this development shows that the people of Keewatin have once again taken the initiative to make changes which will better their socio-economic circumstances.
Before closing, Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not reiterate a point I made in my Member's statement on Tuesday -- that this government has gone on long enough about downsizing, postponing projects and reducing the size of government. It is time to move on; build consumer and investor confidence to ensure the long-term health of the economy of the Northwest Territories. As you can see, Mr. Speaker, the people of the Keewatin understand this and have done exactly that. Thank you.
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