Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the health transfer took place in 1988. Prior to that, the federal government was responsible for health in the Northwest Territories, especially to treaty and aboriginal people. Once the federal government negotiated the transfer of the health programs to this government back in 1988, the non-insured health benefits, which are the benefits for treaty and Inuit people, also went into the mix. It was not transferred to this government.

However, there was no existing body to run this program. In consultation with the aboriginal groups, the Dene Nation and the Inuit of the day were fully aware and involved in the decision for this government to run the program. This government has been running this program and we are paying up front for the services provided to treaty and Inuit people. We send the bill to the feds and they have not been paying the full amount of our expenditures. This has been going on for a number of years.

The reason for the Minister of Health taking the position that she has taken with regard to the non-insured health benefits is to try to give notice that this is a problem that we cannot go on with. We are fighting, in fact, and trying to retain the non-insured health benefits. This is the only mechanism that we have. We keep on doing it with the eroding situation, or do we put it out there, saying if this is the case then the feds should take it back and run it the way they should?

We are in fact doing it, and this is in consultation with the Dene Nation and the other aboriginal groups in the North. We are consulting with them already. I think they are fully aware of what we are doing. I think this awareness has to be broader, to all the chiefs and councils, that this is a benefit that is there for treaty and Inuit people, and that there are some problems with it. The problems are not stemming from us as a government of the Northwest Territories, but are coming from the federal government.

Yes, we are going to do everything we can to try to make sure we retain this benefit for the treaty and Inuit people. Thank you. Mahsi.