Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Members of this Legislature may have heard recent CBC reports. I have received a copy of a story that ran in the MacKenzie Valley Reviewer out of Norman Wells recently. This was regarding difficulties that my Sahtu constituencies are expressing about changes that have been made in the way health services are provided in the Sahtu. I rise today to dispel any thought that I, as an MLA for the Sahtu, was not paying sufficient attention to their concerns and the outrage that they are expressing. I apologize to my constituents for the length of time that it has taken to resolve this problem. I have asked the Premier and the Minister of Health and Social Services to assist in finding a solution to the high-handed way in which the Inuvik Health Board is treating my constituents.
Mr. Speaker, without consultation with Sahtu leaders and myself as MLA, the Inuvik Health Board recently overturned a Cabinet directive which was effective April 1, 1995. This directive was communicated in writing by the Premier of the day, to each community leader. The leaders since then, were confident the government would stand by its word, particularly since they had in it writing. This is the reason, Mr. Speaker, why they are so upset and disturbed.
Mr. Speaker, the Cabinet directive says the following:
1. All residents of Fort Norman, now Tulita, Norman Wells and Deline will be required to obtain medevac, hospital and medical specialists, referral services from the Stanton Hospital in Yellowknife.
2. Residents of Colville Lake and Fort Good Hope will have the choice of obtaining these services from either Inuvik or Yellowknife.
Mr. Speaker, a spokesman for the Inuvik Regional Health Board said today on CBC, they had made changes for medical services in the Sahtu which I say are contrary to the Cabinet directive because he says they had heard people were complaining about having to go to Yellowknife for specialist services more than once.
Since when, Mr. Speaker, do governments make arbitrary decisions in isolation of any consultation with MLAs or the communities and their leaders? Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.