Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome my colleagues back to the House.
Today I would like to recognize the Northern Premiers. I would like to congratulate them for refusing to sign the health care accord that was offered to the provinces and territories by the Prime Minister.
By refusing to sign the health care package last week in Ottawa, Premiers Kakfwi, Okalik and Fentie drew national attention to the health care concerns we have in the North.
I would like my constituents to know that, as a territory, we will be getting health care funding from the federal government, but the Premiers from the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut did not agree that the territories should be funded the same way as the provinces, on a per capita or per person basis.
It costs more to deliver health care in the North. We have high infrastructure costs and a small population base. We have large distances to travel for health care, and expenses quickly add up.
In the Northwest Territories, the government spends about $4,700 for every man, woman and child to provide health services. This is roughly $3,000 more than in the provinces.
The Premiers are asking the Prime Minister in Ottawa to create a special health care fund for the territories, which takes into account that our health care costs are higher.
I know that talks are ongoing with the Prime Minister, and hopefully a creative solution can be found.
On a territorial level, I think the same creativity is needed to address the inequity that exists between the smaller and larger centres in terms of health care services. I think all Members are aware that there is no base standard of health care services in the Northwest Territories. There is no consistency amongst health care in the smaller communities in the Territories. As well, residents in the smaller communities face different medical challenges than people in the larger centres. Medevacs are not uncommon and are very expensive. Without immediate access to health care providers, there is always the chance that a medical condition can become more serious.
The health care needs in the territories needs to be recognized as unique from the provinces. As a government, we need to recognize that the health care needs in the smaller communities are distinct from the larger centres. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
