Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been recently, as Members of this House are aware, a lot of confusion surrounding the issue of access to health services for residents of the Sahtu. I rise today to provide some clarity of this matter. I will explain the facts and my position.
First of all, Mr. Speaker, I will deal with the matter of the Cabinet Directive that has been the subject of some discussion in this House. Let me be very clear, matters affecting the location of service delivery are the sole responsibility of the Minister of Health and Social Services. I intend to accept that responsibility and be held accountable for it. I cannot speak to why the previous Minister, in the previous government, choose to bring the matter of health services in the Sahtu before Cabinet. That was a decision made in different times. However, I can assure you, Mr. Speaker, that I will make determinations, as necessary, on the best fit for service delivery in the health and social service system. I will make those determinations on the basis of facts, on the basis of best value for money, and after appropriate consultation with the people affected. I will make those determinations so that current and future generations of residents will have access to quality care, shared equitably and resources in a sustainable way.
I have had many conversations with the chair of the Inuvik Regional Health and Social Service Board. On February 6th, I wrote to her to confirm my position on the matter of provision of health services. All Sahtu communities and the Sahtu leadership were copied on my letter. I am, therefore, Mr. Speaker surprised that confusion remains. In that letter, I confirmed my support for the board's proposal to provide a limited element of choice to people from the Sahtu, particularly as it relates to the travel of elders who may have family in Inuvik.
I also informed the chair that there had recently been a series of complaints from the Sahtu, with people alleging that the board is, in fact, going much further than offering limited choice. I reiterated my expectations about how changes need to be advanced. I told the board that I considered the Cabinet decision of April, 1995, to be essentially in effect, except for the limited element of choice just mentioned. I suggested to the board that given the considerable change that has occurred in the health and social service system since 1995, I fully expect that the board would continue to search for ways of meeting the needs of Sahtu residents efficiently and effectively. I directed the board to precede its decisions about changes with extensive discussion with the communities served, and to follow up the consultation with a comprehensive cost/benefit analysis.
As Members know, the Department of Health and Social Services has made considerable investment in the Stanton system, and we will need to test the impact on that system of any change in the service relationship between the Inuvik and Stanton regions.
Mr. Speaker, it has been a tough two and a half years, since we came into office, faced with tough problems, less money, a population under terrific social pressure and a will to make the decisions we need to make in this day and age. We have asked board trustees to wrestle with difficult issues and make tough decisions when the full range of options available to them has not been that palatable. With all that, Mr. Speaker, we need to extend our support, guidance and appreciation for their effort and commitment.
Mr. Speaker, our boards and their volunteer trustees represent a key linkage between the caregivers that work for the board and the residents and communities they serve. I will continue to support their operations, to insist on their accountability to the residents they serve and to me as Minister. It is unfortunate that the boards often receive negative coverage of their attempts to deal with difficult situations. Yet when they are doing good thing, operating effectively and efficiently we hear very little about them.
I will ensure that we continue to strengthen the support we provide to boards, and hope that, on occasion, Members of this House will see fit to join me in celebrating their frequent successes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
--Applause