Thank you. I am going to speak on this issue, but not as a Cabinet Member. I want it to be clear. I know people will probably recognize me as being a Member, but I want to pursue a matter that is, in my view, important for people to appreciate. I do not think people do here. Perhaps my experience in having raised this issue on a number of occasions, people do not understand the seriousness of this matter.
My colleague, Mr. Patterson, was Minister of Health, when a significant issue arose in my particular region. It was interesting, Mr. Chairman, to note the last individual to know about a case of AIDS or an individual who had AIDS residing in the community was a medical official. I think that is wrong, irrespective of what the Department of Health might say. I think there has to be a better way of educating the people of the Northwest Territories, including the medical practitioners. There is, in fact, a need to treat these individuals. We cannot always chase them out of the Northwest Territories. We have a responsibility to deliver services to them as well.
I do not like the suggestion by anyone, no matter which side of this House I sit, that somehow our best solution of treating people are through medical professionals in southern Canada. It is our responsibility to keep our people in the Northwest Territories. A person, such as the individual Mr. Patterson talked about, can only help our situation to improve the education within our communities. We have to assume responsibility for those people. We cannot make the assumption that they are forever, in this Assembly and in every community, going to ask individuals to leave the Northwest Territories to be treated in other jurisdictions. It is not good enough to suggest that.
Perhaps, with my involvement in Cabinet or my involvement somewhere, and hopefully with the assistance of Members, we can develop a better policy as to how we deal with people in the communities, not only from advising the people in the communities and providing information to regions but also advising the best way to our medical practitioners in the communities. You have to appreciate that the people who deliver medical services in the communities are not doctors, they are nurses.
If you are not prepared, as a government, an Assembly or the department, to protect medical professionals in the community, then say so. It is important to advise them. I think they are at greater risk than we are because they have to provide that service on a daily basis. They are ones who are providing medical attention every day. If they do not know what we are telling them, that we do not care what happens to them, that we are not prepared to advise them so they can assume responsibility for providing medical attention, I think that is wrong. I think our policy is going to have to be changed to reflect that sensitivity we have to our medical professionals in our communities, irrespective of whether or not they are medical doctors.
I do not think doctors have the sole responsibility for delivering services, nor do they have the right to refuse to provide information to those who are providing services in the communities. They are not the front line workers. You have to deal with the front line workers. I do not think we are doing that right now. We certainly did not do it in Tuktoyaktuk.