Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this morning Premiers Kakfwi, Okalik and Fentie met with the Prime Minister to discuss federal funding for health care in the territories.
The meeting was arranged because the three territorial Premiers could not support the health care reform package which First Ministers agreed to when they met in Ottawa on February 4th and 5th. The major problem they had with the
package was the per capita formula used to determine the federal share of health care funding which would flow to each territorial government. Very simply, our small populations meant that we would receive limited funding. In our case, the additional federal funding would have paid to run the NWT health system for one week per year.
Since the First Ministers' meetings, the territorial Premiers have made a strong case in support of additional federal health care funding and the need to address the per capita formula issue.
Fortunately, shortly after the First Ministers' meeting, both the Prime Minister and Health Minister McLellan acknowledged in the House of Commons question period that per capita funding does not work for the territories.
Also while there were no formal meetings, territorial officials held information discussions with their federal counterparts on how best to respond to the territories' concerns.
The media were used very effectively by the Premiers to make sure our issues remained before the Canadian public and on the federal agenda. Mr. Speaker, this is the background which led up to this morning's meeting.
The Premier has briefed the Ministers and asked that I report the following to the Legislative Assembly. The meeting was positive. In addition to the Prime Minster and Premiers, territorial Members of Parliament, Health Minister McLellan and the federal clerk were also in attendance.
In response to the need for more federal health care funding in the short term, the Prime Minister has agreed to set up a territorial fund with a floor of $60 million to be allocated on the basis of $20 million for each territory.
This funding is in addition to per capita funding which each territory will receive through the Canadian Health Care Accord 2003. The Prime Minister has directed that the Clerk of the Privy Council, the most senior official in the federal bureaucracy, act as his delegate and work with territorial officials on the details of the territorial health care fund. A deadline of March 31, 2003, has been set.
A second health related feature of the meeting included a commitment from the Prime Minister to provide health reform funding on the basis of proposals prepared by each territorial government. Minister McLellan has agreed to come north and meet with her territorial counterparts on this initiative.
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Finally, the Prime Minister has directed the Clerk to develop a process for addressing per capita funding inequities by April 1, 2003 and the fiscal challenges facing the territories generally by April 1, 2004. The Premier said he is most encouraged by the Prime Minister's commitment to have his Ministers and officials work with their territorial counterparts to find solutions within a set time frame.
Mr. Speaker, the Premier has asked that I convey, on behalf of Cabinet, our appreciation to the Prime Minister for taking action on the health funding issue and also the problem which the territories have with per capita funding, not only for health care but for a wide range of other federal government programs.
In addition, we want to thank our territorial colleagues, provincial Premiers, former health care commissioner Roy Romanow, our Member of Parliament and Senator for their involvement and support.
The support of this Legislative Assembly and the people of the Northwest Territories has also been essential to achieving our objectives.
Cabinet will continue to keep this Legislative Assembly and the public informed as events unfold. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.