Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving us the opportunity to take a few minutes out. I had a fairly urgent message from my husband and by the time I called, he was already at the hospital with one of my children. I felt that I had to tend to that.
Mr. Speaker, before we took the break, I was asking the Minister of Social Services to look at the alcohol and drug board of management. I certainly hope that this particular board of management would be brought up to its full strength and that they look at reviewing funding and submissions for community-based alcohol and drug programs. I want to let the Minister know that when the House reconvenes in November, I will ask for the department's follow through on the Ministerial commitment that she has given me.
In speaking about health centres, Mr. Speaker, I have spoken to the Minister of Health with regard to the community concern of the health centre in Fort Smith continuing to operate under the direction of a ministerial appointed public administrator. The community has been concerned, particularly the town council, with respect to this. From the public meeting, the Minister knows that there is considerable interest within Fort Smith of moving toward the election of a hospital board trustee. This was something which was commented on in the report which was provided to this House by the Standing Committee on Agencies, Boards and Commissions. I am, again, pleased with the way that the Minister of Health has responded to this particular community interest.
Mr. Speaker, as suggested by the standing committee, she has now agreed to undertake a review of this issue and I am pleased to note that we will be working together to survey my constituents' views on questions of board composition and selection. However, while this work is going on, we need to return to a board managed facility. I will be urging the Minister of Health to appoint an interim board while this matter is being studied. It is very difficult to continue with the situation which exists with respect to the public administrator. Mr. Speaker, it is not the idea of having non-confidence in the public administrator, it is just the actual perception and with the town council expressing a reluctance to continue participating in the planning activities so long as the public administrator is in place, it is of concern. Mr. Speaker, I have every confidence that the Minister will realize the steps which have to be taken and will replace the public administrator by appointing an interim hospital board for a one year term.
Mr. Speaker, at times with respect to the Minister of Health and the Department of Health in general, she has a very difficult situation with which to cope. Having the Department of Health and Social Services are two difficult departments and there is no doubt about it. I bet you if the Government Leader wanted to give that department to any other colleague on the Cabinet, not one of them would jump up to take it because those two departments are no-win departments. I understand the difficult situation in which she has been placed on many issues to a large degree, but I believe some of it has been caused because of the senior administration within that department. The Standing Committee on Agencies, Boards and Commissions included a section in its recent report, subtitled "a question of attitude." Mr. Speaker, as a Member of that committee, I believe that the comments in that section of the report are very accurate. There does appear to be an attitudinal problem within the management of the Department of Health. These attitudes reflect a paternalistic type of attitude, that no doubt is outdated in today's Northwest Territories. It is an attitude which has been reflected in the way the department has been dealing with regional health boards. That is clearly seen from comments that were made by board representatives in the proceedings of public hearings, when Mr. Zoe's Standing Committee on Public Accounts held its review on the comprehensive health audit. It is an attitude that my honourable colleague from Deh Cho commented on when he was reporting the department's response to regional requests for the transfer of CHR positions. The attitude problem was clearly seen as well in the manner in which the department chose to respond to the Auditor General's report, and in the approach that was taken by the deputy minister in dealing with the standing committee.
When we, as the Special Committee on Health and Social Services, met and listened to some of the proceedings on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, I recall asking a few questions. This was the response from the deputy minister at the time, "Well, the department has gone through five Ministers." That type of attitude, and I know sometimes changing a ministerial government at times is difficult on the bureaucrats, but if the department had plans in place there is no doubt that their plan would probably be able to bridge them before they get another Minister to give them direction. So having five Ministers is not an excuse for the attitudes that prevail within the department. The bureaucrats in the Health directorate are not fooling anyone with these superficial, superior attitudes. The Auditor General's report pointed out that the department is not being well-managed and that it is out of touch with the priorities of health stakeholders in the communities. Mr. Speaker, I believe that is going to have to change. Both the department and the Legislative Assembly are fortunate that we now have a Minister of Health who is sensitive to the needs and perspectives of the communities in the north. I trust that she will be able to supervise the transition in attitude and the many adjustments in management style which are going to have to take place within the Department of Health.
However, in saying this, Mr. Speaker, I would also encourage the Minister to be diligent in studying her briefing material and communicating with Members of this House on health concerns. I am certain that honourable Members of the House are interested in receiving more specific and faster responses to oral questions and other inquiries that we have been able to anticipate from the Minister of Health during the current session. I am sure that as her familiarity with the mandate and the programs of the department grows, she will become better able to provide Members with the information we need.
One of the issues, Mr. Speaker, that is still a concern to my constituents and which I am hoping the Minister will act fairly swiftly on is the constant and irritating harassment that the department is still directing towards a long-time doctor who has practised in Fort Smith. Unlike most health professionals, Dr. Viswalingam has made over a ten-year commitment to our community and to the people of Fort Smith. Many of the elders count on him and I know that aboriginal people in the community believe that he is one of the few doctors who has been able to listen to their health concerns. Yet, the level of internal politicking within the board, the public administration, the reviews to which he has been subjected to, the personal financial losses he has suffered through court action to protect his good name and his professional status, there is not a doubt these have all taken their toll. I was gratified that an arrangement had been made with this hard working doctor for an out of court settlement. I thought that appropriate measures were in place to complete the recommended review activities, but now I have found out that officials in the Department of Safety and Public Services are refusing to renew his medical licence. I have to say to the government that they should leave this man alone, they should stop harassing him and allow him to serve the people of the north. Many of my constituents are monitoring this and I have received many phone calls regarding their concerns with this and there is no doubt that I am concerned about it. I certainly hope that this issue can be addressed as quickly as possible.
Mr. Speaker, another matter that has been drawn to the attention of Fort Smith residents and myself is there is no doubt in the preferential treatment, and I felt when I made my Member's statement, that it was not preferential treatment, but after I thought long and hard about it, I guess I have to admit that it is preferential treatment which has been accorded to an inmate at the Territorial Women's Correctional Centre in Fort Smith. Sometimes I think the situation is absolutely incredible. It is the stuff that television writers use for situation comedies. Mr. Speaker, and I am mindful of your ruling, that the senior manager in the Department of Social Services, who stole from the Government of the Northwest Territories, who took public money that had been set aside for social assistance, money that was intended for the less fortunate, the amount being over $250,000 was one of the most serious breaches of trust in the history of the territorial government. I know she was dealt with appropriately by the courts. She was sentenced to serve federal time, which would normally be served in a federal penitentiary. During the trial her lawyer asked the judge to choose a sentence that would serve time near her psychiatrist in Ontario because she had been assessed as needing personal help. I support that. If someone needs help, they should get help. The supreme court justice took that into consideration and said that she would be able to receive that help at the federal penitentiary where we expected her to go. The advice on which he based that was even provided by the territorial director of corrections, Mr. DuPerron. Maybe that is why he is not here any more.
What happened to this past territorial employee? She is now living across the street from the correctional centre in Fort Smith with minimal supervision. She attends classes as a full time student at Arctic College. As I said in my Member's statement, it is a privilege that is denied to many aboriginal people in our community because they lack the funds. She has money to pay for tuition and books at the college, but not enough to pay back the social assistance funds she took from the Department of Social Services. She goes out on outings around the community, suppers here, meetings there and I am even told that she goes to aerobics classes. Mr. Speaker, my constituents are appalled with this and so am I. I wonder what message is sent to people who might be inclined to try to defraud their employer? Where is the general deterrence that the court intended for this inmate's sentence to represent?
I think one question weighs on the mind of many honourable Members and the public at large, would she receive this kind of treatment if she were an aboriginal woman? Mr. Speaker, I doubt it. There is no doubt that the Fort Smith Dene band has expressed its concern. I have tabled that letter in this House because many constituents have expressed their concern. The letter read but because of the remarks of the Minister of Justice asking who was I speaking for, it got the band mad so they wrote the letter to the Minister. They said, "On behalf of the Salt River First Nations, we are in full support of our respective MLA, Mrs. Jeannie Marie-Jewell, as she addresses the concern of a particular inmate at the women's correctional centre in Fort Smith. The number of concerns to this regard is to exceptional treatment of a particular inmate in terms of the schooling and accommodation provisions made available to this inmate. The other concern is with regard to the sentencing and whether, in fact, the policies of incarceration reflect the sentence that the courts have made judgement. These are a few of the concerns we have at the moment and I would like clarification on these matters. The main point, I must emphasize, at this time is our full support to our MLA with regard to addressing the concerns of the community of Fort Smith. I would strongly urge the respective Minister to respond and further to address the concerns of our community. If there are any concerns I would be more than pleased to respond further but all the confidence is in our MLA to address our concerns to the fullest." That is who I speak for, the people of Fort Smith. It is signed by the chief.
However, Mr. Speaker, I believe this episode has demonstrated something worrisome about the quality of case management within the territorial corrections system. I expect that we will find ourselves revisiting issues such as this over and over until a major review is completed. I know the Legislative Assembly is forming a delegation to look at the Navajo reserve, and the Minister will be taking his officials to look at the correctional centre, the justice system. I certainly hope that we look at a major review of the total justice system on how it addresses the people of the north. I must say, our justice system is not working. It is not working for the people of the Northwest Territories.
The other area, before I move away from Justice, is, in the budget there was a proposal to take away fees for jury duty. I certainly hope the government looks at that and does not take away that little $25 fee that they give to people who attend jury duty. The little $25 is not much to the government, Mr. Speaker, but it means a great deal to the poor people who have to take a cab to the court houses, that are not centrally located in many communities. That $25 does, at times, go toward their babysitting, when they have to attend the courthouse to see whether or not they have to serve jury duty. I certainly hope they find a mechanism to address jury duty fees for people who are subpoenaed who do not have other income. For civil servants, that is fine, they get paid their wage. So, if they take away the $25 they are not losing anything, civil servants still get a salary. However, for the people who are unemployed, what do they have? Nothing. I really wish the government would take a look at this with that perspective.
Of course, Mr. Speaker, with regard to Justice, if I overlook the River Ridge facility and the concerns which I have expressed, it would be wrong of me. I have been expressing concerns in the manner in which River Ridge facility has been targeted for triple designation. That is a facility which has been designated for the highest level of security that a young offender institution can provide. I simply cannot see how the institution is going to function as an open custody unit. However, I will be very interested in reviewing the program evaluation report which the Minister of Justice promised in the House yesterday, when he completes the six month review on the initiative. Mr. Speaker, I will make sure that there is not going to be additional appropriations required to bring about the structural changes in the facility. If this Cabinet comes in for special warrants or supps, particularly supps, I will vehemently speak against it. I will jump up and down and everything.
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Mr. Speaker, the decision to change the designation at River Ridge has been more carefully reasoned than another decision this Minister made with his Department of Personnel, which is housing. For some time I have been concerned about several aspects of the government's plan to dispose of surplus housing in Fort Smith. I have been particularly troubled by the Department of Personnel's decision to ask Arctic College to identify its needs for housing units. I understand that Arctic College will be assuming responsibility for these units and will take over the role of landlord from the Department of Personnel. However, when you look at the overall department's budget, I do not know how it will reduce maintenance costs because all you are doing is taking from DPW and Personnel and giving it to the college, the college funds will be used for maintenance costs of these units. It does not seem to make sense. I have a concern that different standards will be set for how students will use those houses that would be found in the private rental market.
Mr. Speaker, I have expressed concern over the abuse and damage of units. I am concerned that if all of these units are turned over to the college it would reduce the college's ability to do program delivery, because you will be tying up some of your funding for maintenance of housing. The Minister probably wonders what should he be doing with surplus government housing in Fort Smith, and as I have said before, he should have made a decision to sell the surplus units according to the properly established disposal plan, not to sell them to the point where they disrupt the current balance within the real estate market. If he sold those units, it would have generated revenue for government coffers and defrayed the deficit. Then, he could have looked at a leasing concept in which student housing would be leased from private landlords. That is the best way to go. It is cheap, and you still get your student housing. At the same time you get more money for the government. It would stimulate the rental market and no doubt, support local home maintenance firms. Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that Arctic College is now being left with an administrative headache and the government has simply shifted and transferred its landlord responsibilities from a department to an agency. I think that is poor planning and I would urge the government to revisit that initiative.
With respect to the housing strategy, Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a brief comment on the Minister's housing strategy, which occupied so much of the House's time and attention at the beginning of this current session. Mr. Speaker, the level of planning and preparation of announcing and implementing this strategy was not significantly better than the one I had just mentioned. However, I must say that in principle I fully support the direction that the Minister took on this issue. In fact, if I had not been required to travel to Toronto for negotiations on banking services, I probably would have voted against the motion, which Mr. Patterson brought forward. Mr. Speaker, I believe that all northerners have to realize that we are in difficult financial times and it is absolutely ludicrous to be providing subsidies to government employees, rental accommodation, when long-term residents of the territories, aboriginal families and elders are having to live in units that, in some cases, are little better than what we call shacks.
Mr. Speaker, I want the record to show that after careful consideration of the issue, I support the housing strategy brought forward by the Minister of Personnel. People in Fort Smith were faced with a similar situation when adjustments were made to staff housing policies in Yellowknife, Fort Smith and Hay River. There is no doubt that I paid the political price for that. In the end, I realized that it was the right direction for the government to be taking and I believe that this housing strategy, minus some of the ineffective public communication, is a positive step in the right direction. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I encourage the Minister of Personnel to even go further and give strong consideration to whether the Government of the Northwest Territories should even continue to pay its employees a housing allowance. Mr. Speaker, to continue paying public servants $450 a month simply because they chose to work for the government, when disabled people and elders get much less than that on social assistance, it is just about obscene. It borders on being unfair. I will be urging the Minister of Personnel to continue to move towards a more equitable distribution of the public purse, even if there is pressure from organized labour, special interest groups and the union, and even Yellowknife MLAs.
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All these Yellowknife MLAs have been my friends.
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