Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to share a very distressing situation that happened to one of my constituents. This past November, a constituent of mine was diagnosed with cancer. She underwent surgery on December 6th in Yellowknife. After a two-week hospital stay, she returned home to Rae.
She was then sent to Edmonton for further tests. From these tests, medical professionals recommended that she begin chemotherapy on January 22nd in Yellowknife. Since she needed chemotherapy treatments five days a week, this woman wanted to relocate in Yellowknife.
Undergoing chemotherapy is stressful. People get weak from it and there are many side effects. What is most disturbing about this case is that because this woman is an income support recipient, she relies on this government for help, and the government let her down.
On January 19th, every member of the Dogrib Band received $500 from Diavik Diamond Mines as part of the IBA. This woman used the money to pay her $300 power bill, her $80 phone bill, her water bill and to buy new clothes for her three children. Unfortunately, though, the Department of Education interprets this IBA money as income, thereby reducing the money income support recipients receive.
She was not able to access funds in this case. That meant the woman could not afford to get an apartment in Yellowknife. That meant that her chemotherapy had to be delayed for over one month. I am sure that there is no one in this House who would want to delay their chemotherapy treatments if they were diagnosed with cancer.
I do not know how we can justify this to our constituents who are regular income support recipients in need of medical care. I know the Minister is reviewing income support policies and the way IBAs are interpreted. I also ask him to urge income support workers to examine each case on its own merit, so that these few simple policies do not cost peoples' lives just because they cannot afford to access treatment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause