Good afternoon. Before we go to Ministers' statements, I would like to take the time to recognize in the Speaker's gallery the former Member of the House of Commons for High River, Alberta, former Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Joe Clark.

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Welcome to our Assembly. Also seated in the Speaker's gallery are members of the NWT Conflict of Interest Commission: Joel Fournier, Chief Commissioner...

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...Anne Crawford, Commissioner; the Honourable Greg Evans, Commissioner; the Honourable Ted Hughes, Commissioner; and, the Honourable Jim Bourque, Commissioner.

Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Madam Speaker, I wish to report on the situation in Iqaluit. Madam Speaker, floating debris found yesterday afternoon has been positively identified as from the missing vessel. These items included a cabin door; roof of wheel-house; wooden box for portable generator; sliding door; flashlight; and, plywood from the side of the cabin which showed heavy impact marks.

There was, at that time, no trace of the 16-foot canoe which was carried by the missing vessel and no other traces had been found of the 10 people aboard or any other personal belongings.

A continued massive air search has been under way since early this morning Iqaluit time, involving an RCMP twin otter searching the western shore, a Sikorsky helicopter chartered by DND searching the other side of the Bay and a Hercules and Aurora aircraft searching over open water. Two vessels in the area have been searching islands and the shore in the vicinity of Gold Cove and Chase Island.

I have just been informed, Madam Speaker, that two people from the missing vessel have been picked up early this afternoon on Gabriel Island. They are extremely weak and very cold. They are, at this moment, being rushed by boat to Gold Cove. From there, they will be transported by helicopter to Iqaluit later this afternoon. This search vessel also found the shattered canoe and the remainder of the missing vessel. There is no other information on any other missing men.

Madam Speaker, this tragedy involves the immediate families of at least 100 people in Iqaluit and Clyde River, and many more relatives and friends. People in the community throughout the region are suffering with the terrible anxiety of waiting and fearing the worst. They will need all of our support and prayers. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 3, Members statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Ningark on October 18, 1994 regarding interpreter services for patients travelling south.

Madam Speaker, the medical travel policy does not provide escorts for unilingual escorts escorting children. Interpretation services are available at all centres defined as the "nearest centre."

Larga Limited in Edmonton offers Inuktitut, Slavey and Dogrib interpreter services. In Winnipeg, the J. Hilde Medical Unit offers Inuktitut interpreter services. The Churchill Health Centre offers Inuktitut and Cree interpreter services. Baffin House in Montreal offers Inuktitut, French and English interpreter services.

In cases where a unilingual mother accompanies her child on scheduled flights, interpretation services are arranged at the treatment destination. Prior to departure, the community health nurse or patient referral officer provides the patient and/or escort with an information card developed by the region. This card provides details on who to contact if problems occur during travel.

When the mother and child must change aircraft, the community health nurse or patient referral officer notifies the patient referral officer in communities where the stopover occurs with information on arrival time, departure time and other requirements such as interpretation services. The patient referral officer then makes arrangements for the necessary services.

Madam Speaker, I have two further returns to oral questions.

Madam Speaker, this is a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Ballantyne on October 24th regarding extra revenues generated by high water levels. Madam Speaker, during the period of high water levels, the corporation slowly increased its rates to recover the full cost of providing power to their customers. In minimizing rate increases during this period, the corporation's earnings fell short of their approved target by $20 to $25 million. The high water levels during the last five years contributed to the corporation's ability to minimize rate increases to all of its customers.

Madam Speaker, the corporation informed me that there was a rationale for recovering the $4.8 million from all customers in the Northwest Territories. The rationale for the corporations' decision to apply to only recover these costs from customers of the Snare system is included in evidence currently before the Public Utilities Board.

Madam Speaker, I have a further reply to a question asked by Mr. Antoine on October 25th. Madam Speaker, this refers to the rationale for power rate schedule and Public Utilities Board hearings. Madam Speaker, the hearings scheduled by the NWT Public Utilities Board to consider the corporation's application concerning the setting of its rates concluded on October 12, 1994.

These hearings, scheduled by the Public Utilities Board, offered an opportunity for interested parties to express their views on the corporation's application. Madam Speaker, the public review process to consider applications by the corporation is determined by the Public Utilities Board. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Koe. Sorry, item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for High Arctic, Mr. Pudluk.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to recognize in the gallery Simon Awa, executive director of the NIC.

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Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Public Works and Services. Currently there is a review of the business incentive policy under way. I understand that the department has put out a call for proposals to hire consultants to do this review and facilitate meetings in reviewing the business incentive policy. My question to the Minister is, what is the status of the call for proposals to hire these consultants?

Thank you. Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Public Works and Services has advertised to hire facilitators for every region in the Northwest Territories to facilitate the public meetings on the draft business incentive policy and get public feedback. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. The process is, as I understand it, that a part of it will be what you call a public process and part of it will be private meetings. Can the Minister advise this House about how he intends to carry out the public process of reviewing the business incentive policy?

Thank you. Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The process used by the facilitators in all regions...We are using private facilitators, with the back-up of staff from DPW for information purposes for the facilitators and the businesses that will be attending the meetings. The private meetings may be public as well. It is simply up to the land claim groups how they want to deal with this issue.

As a government, we were required by the claims to consult with the land claim groups, whether they be the Gwich'in, the Sahtu or the new claimant groups. We have to consult with them whenever we change a policy. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

There are some concerns, Madam Speaker, that this process may not be as public as people would like. I would like to ask the Minister if he believes the process should

be as open as possible and involve as many people as possible in the review of this policy?

Thank you. Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The process will be as open as possible, we will involve as many people as possible, but we also have to address the concerns of land claim groups and we will do that in the best way possible. Thank you.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. What time frame is the Minister looking at for the completion of this review? When do you expect to have the exercise finished?

Thank you. Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. We are hoping to have the exercise finished and the consultations done by the end of the December. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would just like to indicate to the honourable Member that discussions are now taking place with the Financial Management Board Secretariat, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and, I believe, Personnel on first, reviewing the whole issue of the affirmative action policy. The other matter is dealing with the whole question of summer student employment so that the issues that were raised in the past year can hopefully be addressed.

We are not at a stage, at this particular time, to say whether or not we are prepared to come back with recommendations, but that matter is being discussed.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I can indicate to the honourable Member that we are planning an appropriate communication with the students. The suggestion I made last year was to have a seminar. That is our intention. The issue is whether or not it is going to be held here in Yellowknife or held on campuses or at various locations across the country. There are a number of students, for instance, at the University of Alberta and colleges in Edmonton. There are quite a few in Calgary and quite a few in Saskatoon. And, there are some in the eastern part of Canada. We need to determine the best approach to providing information to our students.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you. I will certainly take that into consideration and provide that suggestion to those staff members dealing with this particular matter.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Kitikmeot, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services and it's with regard to her response on October 20th to a written question regarding a number of physicians' positions in the NWT. Her response says that there are 34 total positions for physicians throughout the NWT, and one of these positions is based in Cambridge Bay serving the eastern part of the Kitikmeot region. I would like to ask the Minister which physician would service the western part of the region, primarily Coppermine and Holman. Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, as the Member is probably aware, the health board works that arrangement out, either out of Yellowknife...a physician out of Yellowknife. I don't know the exact contractual arrangements that are made. I would assume that this is where the contractual arrangement is made from. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister then, the health board, from my understanding, has requested that there be a physician position established for the western part of the Kitikmeot in Coppermine. I would like to ask the Minister if she is aware of that request.

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, on many occasions, there have been requests for establishing physicians in various regions and communities. The Coppermine request is just one of the many, and I am aware of that particular position that is being put forward by the Kitikmeot Health Board.

Supplementary, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister will she be assessing that request in preparation of the 1995-96 OPPLAN for the department?

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, on an ongoing basis, the Department of Health deals with the regional health board on the needs and requirements for their region. It's not necessarily tied to the 1995-96 budget arrangements; sometimes these arrangements are done in assessing what types of services are made available out there, the cost and the evaluation of whether the cost is more economical and better to be served in the community rather than on an arrangement where the contractual services come in. So it's not necessary that a physician position year is established in the budget, but more in the continuing negotiations with the health boards and the changing health needs that communities have. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. My question is for the Minister responsible for Economic Development and Tourism. Last week, during committee of the whole when we were dealing with the Department of Public Works and Services, the question of manufacturing goods in the Northwest Territories came up. During the debate, I was asking the Minister of Public Works and Services about manufactured goods that are currently being purchased by the government. I told the Minister that in my constituency we have a lot of trees and a lot of forests, and that people there have developed resource management committees to try to identify the resources that we have and what to do with these resources. There is direction now to start logging and getting into sawmills, perhaps, and eventually into manufacturing. We could do a lot of manufacturing in that area.

Upon questioning the Minister of Public Works and Services, he indicated that my area should work with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism to see how to maximize benefits with regard to contracts and capital in the communities. So I would like to ask the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism if there are any plans in the works to help communities develop manufacturing abilities to provide supplies to the Government of the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.

Thank you. Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. At this time, we've been working very closely with some of the manufacturing companies in Hay River and Yellowknife. It's certainly the goal of this government and certainly the Minister of Public Works and myself that we want to increase the northern content and involvement, particularly in our construction business. If there's any way that we can enhance that activity, we're prepared to do it. So we would sit down with the honourable Member, particularly in his area where

logging is taking place. With the current attractive price of lumber, et cetera, there are some significant opportunities for us. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It's been quite a long time since manufacturing was asked for in the north. We've been buying all our supplies for the north from the south, and we have a lot of raw material in the north to provide for the types of materials that the government is currently purchasing to build in the north. In my constituency, people are now becoming interested in developing our resources there. The Minister mentioned that they're working very hard with manufacturing in Hay River and Yellowknife, and it seems to me that only the bigger centres seem to have this opportunity. I know that in Fort Simpson, the band wanted to get into starting small with building roof trusses, but they were outbid by a bigger and better company from a bigger centre.

How are the manufacturing agreements reached with these companies that the government is currently working with in the larger centres? Is it on a proposal call, or is it on a bid, or does the manufacturing company come forward with a good proposal? How does that work? Thank you.

Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It happens in a variety of ways. There is the private sector where, I believe, the sewage tanks, for example, are manufactured here in Yellowknife. They are used in our public housing and our access houses across the territories. If they come into the Department of Economic Development, we work with them to develop a business plan, and to provide them with some economic incentives to do that.

With respect to Mr. Antoine's riding, if there is something specific that a particular group or individual wants to get involved in, we'd be only too happy to sit down with them and try to coordinate a business plan that incorporates some of the Minister of Public Works' initiatives and policies and enhances the economic opportunities for the people in that area. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife North, Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a question for the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation regarding a return to an oral question. Madam Speaker, I'm quite pleased that the Power Corporation acknowledges that the high water levels during the last five years contributed to the corporation's ability to minimize rate increases to all of its customers. So everybody in the north benefitted from the high water. The Minister goes on to say that the corporation informed me that there is a rationale for recovering the $4.8 million from all the customers in the Northwest Territories, which again makes sense. I wonder if the Minister would provide that rationale to this House.

Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, yes, I'll provide that.

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Health. There have been lots of reviews and lots of assessments on services provided by physicians in the Northwest Territories. There are issues where there are private medical clinics providing a service to a community, versus services provided by staff physicians hired by the health board. My question to the Minister is, what is the policy of the Department of Health as to when you hire or contract a physician? Is there a policy in place covering that?

Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, as the Member is aware, throughout the Northwest Territories there are health boards established, other than just in the southern Mackenzie where some communities do not have a health board, but do have services provided through an established facility such as Stanton, Hay River or Fort Smith.

The health boards themselves go through a continuation of analysis of health priorities that they have to set according to an established needs assessment. They need to look at what type of resources are required to take care of the very specific needs that they have. It would be looked at on an economic basis according to the service area that you are responsible for. So what makes common sense and the best way of delivering the specific services that are required would be based on the needs as well as cost-effectiveness. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

In the north, there have been ongoing concerns about the tenure of physicians in communities. For example, in Inuvik there has been a medical clinic and they have been

providing physicians for a few years. Before that, many years ago, the doctors or physicians used to be hired by the health board or the hospital at that time, and, in many cases, they didn't stay very long. It was very difficult to build up a doctor/patient relationship because every time you went to the clinic, there was a new doctor there. My concern is what is being done to prevent this sort of thing and to entice physicians to stay in the north longer?

Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, the department attempts to work with the health boards to see what is the best venue that would provide the programs and services for the health needs of the individual regions and communities.

As for the retention of physicians, particularly for the Inuvik region, on a number of occasions they have asked us to help them get special commendation, so they could bring in doctors from overseas and then to sponsor physicians from the appropriate region compatible to Canada in terms of the requirements. There have been a number of people established at the Inuvik clinic, who have been supported by this government. We see if these physicians are more inclined to live in the remoter regions of Canada. The problem with a lot of physicians educated in Canada is they prefer the more modern, urban communities where they have all the amenities of life they have become accustomed to. It doesn't matter whether it is a physician or a nurse practitioner for the health centres or a teacher or any group of people we recruit from southern Canada. They are accustomed to certain things and many of them don't have a long-term commitment to the north, although when they do come here, it is an experience for them. I believe in the long term, our special emphasis on education, training and employment would see us having our own nurses, doctors and teachers who are used to the environment of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. It is hard to argue with the statements the Minister makes because I think that is the way to go. In the interim, we still have to use trained physicians from wherever we can get them. The issue is to keep them in the north to service the people in the communities. Communities are now expecting certain levels of service. Are the wage and benefit packages which the health boards are now using similar to those used by private clinics?

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, the terms and conditions of what the Government of the Northwest Territories can pay on a fee schedule to doctors are established throughout the Northwest Territories. These rates are set and are well-known to the medical society in the NWT. When we set the fee schedules, the Medical Association is informed of what the parameters of those fee schedules are. It is done in conjunction with the federal government in consideration with what they feel is a reasonable rate of return for services provided. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. One of our only carrots to keep doctors or other health professions is our salaries and benefits. There have been various questions over the past years on the salaries and benefits of nurses and dental technicians. Are the salaries and benefits for physicians under review by the department?

Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I believe that the Northwest Territories has more to offer than money and benefits. By and large, many of the physicians and medical practitioners, nurses or educators, do come to the Northwest Territories for an experience. Unfortunately, many of them don't stay a long time because they come from another part of the country where their families are. We have the same problem when we try to relocate our own people in another region of the Northwest Territories. They want to stay close to home. It is no less important to people who come from southern Canada. At this point in time, there is no adjustment or an active look at the fees and fee schedules. I believe we did it not too long ago, so they have been set and the amounts and parameters of what those are, are available for public consumption. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife North, Mr. Ballantyne.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have another question for the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation. Madam Speaker, you have said many times in this House that if a Member has a question to ask of a Minister that is not within the direct knowledge of that Minister, to use a written question. I did. I asked what I thought was a fairly straightforward question: what would the effect of a 22 per cent surcharge be in the cost of power to Royal Oak and Miramar mines? It seems like a simple question. The answer being Miramar, $1 million and Royal Oak, $800,000, or

whatever it may be. But, the answer wasn't that. The answer was, "The corporation's proposal of a 22 per cent interim refundable rate rider, based on the total amount billed, applies to the customers of the Snare system which include Royal Oak and Miramar Con Mines."

So, my question to the Minister is, what was the question that the Minister was answering with this particular response?

Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, that everyone was treated equally. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.

Well, that's nice to know. I didn't ask that question, but in case I would have to ask it in the future, I now know that everybody is treated equally. I will ask again if the Minister can tell me what will be the effect of a 22 per cent increase surcharge on the cost of power to Royal Oak and Miramar Con Mines Thank you.

Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, those calculations are presently before the Public Utilities Board.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.

I'll try it a different way then, Madam Speaker. Could the Minister make available to this House the present costs of power to Royal Oak and Miramar Con Mines and then add 22 per cent to that figure and give that figure to the House? Thank you.

Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, those two figures are presently in front of the Public Utilities Board.

Final supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.

Final supplementary, Madam Speaker. Could the Minister make available to this House present costs to Miramar Con Mines and Royal Oak mines and I'll add the 22 per cent calculation.

Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, to my knowledge presently, today, I don't have that knowledge. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. This is my favourite subject. Well, first of all, we have to find the diamonds. At the current time, the Department of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources is undergoing a number of studies with consultants with respect to polishing, cutting and a whole variety of spin-offs with respect to the diamond industry.

I believe we've recruited some of the top intelligence in the world in the diamond field. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we'll have some options so that, should diamond mines come about, we will be able to present something to the companies and the territories which would improve the economic well-being of communities like Yellowknife and other areas. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, Mr. Todd.

Madam Speaker, hopefully, if we manage to reach an agreement on the accord with the people of the territories and the federal government, that would give us the legislative authority to do the kinds of things the honourable Member is talking about.

However, being a man of not one option, we are currently looking at other options, like legislation, that may be necessary, should we not reach a satisfactory deal with the federal government, to ensure that these diamond companies do demonstrate and bring about significant benefits to northerners. Otherwise, they should just leave the diamonds in the ground. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health. As you know, in my constituency we don't have a health board, but we do have an administration body called the Mackenzie Regional Health Board. But, there are no representatives from the communities who sit on the board, just appointees from the government. I would like to ask the Minister of Health a question about physicians. I would like to know how the doctors who work in my community of Fort Simpson are hired by the Mackenzie Regional Health Board? Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, the Mackenzie Health Board follows procedures by advertising in certain papers. They also consult with physicians' medical associations across Canada to see if there are any available physicians who would be interested in working in the Northwest Territories, Madam Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you. Madam Speaker, I was listening with interest when the Minister was replying to my honourable colleague from Inuvik's question when she stated that doctors come up north because we have more to offer than just their salaries, and they come for the experience. I'm sure a lot of them do. I would like to know what kind of experience they are getting in the communities.

In my constituency, we have two doctors who alternate and they work fairly well with the community but, just recently, one of them left and went to Rankin Inlet. Upon his leaving, I asked him and he said there seem to be some problems he is experiencing with the Mackenzie Regional Health Board. I, personally, and people I know have no problems dealing with him. However, I guess the experience has not been very good for him, so he's leaving.

I would like to ask the Minister, how can people in the communities be involved in keeping a doctor there or hiring a doctor if this task is left up to an administration that is appointed by the government? Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, when I referred to issues other than salaries and wages, there are a lot of people who want to see all parts of Canada, to see the living conditions and work with people they have heard a lot about but really haven't had the opportunity to go and work in different locations. It is like everything else, people like to travel and work with various people and groupings of people. They like that experience; it is all very fulfilling for an individual. This particular instance that the honourable Member refers to, I can't express an opinion on because it's specific. I believe that many of the doctors from years ago who used to work in the Inuvik area used to stay a longer period of time because it was remote and they enjoyed working with the people for the period of time they were there. Mind you, it wasn't a long time. But there are some people who are better suited to work in smaller communities and work with different groups of people, than others.

Sometimes people could find that something happens, and they feel that it's in their own best interest to move on. So I believe that the daily working relationship that a physician or any other professional has, in their experience with community groups, would entice them to stay on if they like people. Even if they like people -- I guess I shouldn't qualify it that way -- but if they liked the area they worked in and they didn't have any other aspirations, you would get them to stay longer. But it's very difficult for anyone to determine how long a person will stay in a certain area, and there are many factors that would have to be judged in deciding that.

Certainly, if the intent of the question was perhaps there should be a way since there is not a health board established to involve people, I can look at perhaps setting up some kind of a process where a represented group of people are involved, particularly in the area where there isn't a health board. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The situation in Simpson is quite bad, I think, because the people who go for appointments with the doctors, even though this community has only a population of 1,000, are asked to wait for a week or even more before their appointment is confirmed with the doctor. The problem here is that I think the doctor has too much to do alone. So there might be a reason here to have more than one doctor in the community. I think this has been relayed to the department, through the doctors. However, the health board members, who are appointed by the government, are not responding to the requests from the people of the communities for the physicians, because there are no community people involved. I think the problem there is with your health administration, rather than with the people and the doctors. I would like to ask the Minister if she would look into this situation with the administration of the Mackenzie Regional Health Board. Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I can look at the administration of the Mackenzie regional administration zone. But I would ask, maybe not right now, that maybe the honourable Member will share a little more specifically what he feels the concern is. If he feels the concern is that there's going to be a contemplation of placing another doctor in Fort Simpson when there is one there already, I would say that would be highly unlikely given all the other communities that have about the same population and don't have a doctor. So if it's not just a matter of providing another doctor, but if there are some areas where the Member feels that we can do better, then I would be pleased to work with the Member to see how we can accomplish that. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, as the Members of the House know, I've spoken many times in this House with regard to the hospital in Fort Simpson. We've had this hospital in Fort Simpson for many, many years. Now, with the move towards having more of the services done in Yellowknife, a lot of my constituents have to travel a long distance by charter and then on a sched to come here, and be boarded here for days on end. And that costs quite a bit of money, especially if women have to give birth to a child here. The last time, a woman stayed here for over six weeks and she had children at home. So we have a lot of problems. So if you're looking at a financial way of dealing with this situation of providing medical services in Simpson, I would like to ask the Minister if she could look into seeing if we could provide more services in Simpson and have better equipment so that we could do more of the work in Simpson rather than having to spend all this money bringing people into Yellowknife; flying them in here and putting them up while they wait for an appointment. Mahsi.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.