This is page numbers 701 - 746 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 6th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was community.

Topics

Further Return To Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 709

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 709

Leon Lafferty North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister if he or his department have consulted with any of the aboriginal governments or the city of Yellowknife or Lutselk'e, all these people who are going to be affected. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary To Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 709

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

The honourable Minister of RWED, Mr. Antoine.

Further Return To Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 709

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we haven't formally initiated a new consultation with regard to this project to all the different local governments, all the different organizations that might be impacted. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 709

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Your final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 709

Leon Lafferty North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister if he can make a commitment to do consultations with everyone that will be affected in the Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary To Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 709

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

The honourable Minister of RWED, Mr. Antoine.

Further Return To Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 709

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the initiative is on the drawing boards. They are going through their own process of going to the Minister responsible, the federal Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, Minister Nault. He has the authority to make the decision on what type of review is going to take place. Once that becomes formal, of course we will be engaged to do that. At this point in time, I would ask for some direction from my technical staff to see where this process is and at what stage we start consulting. At some point in time, we will do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Further Return To Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Question 220-14(6): Environmental Review Of Bathurst Road And Port
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier and it's with regard to the extra dollars that we were able to receive from the federal government. Mr. Speaker, there were discussions and questions on this area earlier in the session, but at the time details had not yet been worked out. I am beginning to get suggestions and advice from health care professionals in my riding as to where best this money should go. So I would like to ask the Premier where the government is in terms of what it's planning to do with the money. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Return To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

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Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Health would be in a better position to answer that. As I understand it, it is work that is ongoing with the federal government. We have set up some process and assigned some officials to work with the federal officials over the next few weeks and months. The secretary to Cabinet has just returned from Ottawa and reached agreement on how we would like to proceed. I will be writing a letter, an information item, to Members in the next day or so to outline those, to keep Members informed. As well, Cabinet will be developing an overall strategy on how to advance these issues and other issues regarding funding programs of the federal government that will become available over the next few months. So Cabinet will be developing a strategy on that as well. Thank you.

Return To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

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The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am a little puzzled. There is a lot of information there that the Premier has given. I pursued questions in this area and I was told the details were still being worked out and that we would be advised in due course. I wasn't aware that the Minister was travelling to talk about this. I would have thought we would have had more advice. Mr. Speaker, could the Premier confirm whether or not the Minister of Health is travelling right now to work out the details of this agreement? Is that what he's travelling for? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Further Return To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Minister Miltenberger is chairing the meeting of the Ministers responsible for social services in Toronto. They are dealing with some of the programs that were announced in the recent budget such as early childhood development and it is not to do with health dollars specifically. If the Member will recall, earlier in this fiscal year, we gave a supplementary amount to the Department of Health of $8.6 million to deal with additional costs that were not budgeted for at the beginning of the fiscal year. Some of the money that we are receiving from the federal government is, in fact, probably already spent. It's the Minister of Health that can better articulate how that money will be used and received. So we will just wait for him to give that answer to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Further Return To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was thinking that we were putting in $8.6 million extra into the fund, plus we would get some money from the federal government. But it seems the money has already been spent and we really have nothing to be excited about in terms of new dollars for health care. I guess I will have to ask the Premier, do we have any reason to think that there is going to be any new money going into our health care system within the next little while other than that $8.3 million?

Supplementary To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Further Return To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

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Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the money that we were allocated from the recent First Ministers' meeting is what was allocated on a per capita basis. As Members recall, as a Premier, along with the premiers of Nunavut and Yukon, we rejected the notion that we should receive funding only on a per capita basis. The Prime Minister agreed that per capita does not work. We agreed that we need more than what was allocated to us on a per capita basis. The Prime Minister and his staff indicated that they are prepared to allocate an additional $60 million over three or five years for the three territories. This amount will become available in the new fiscal year and it is to be seen as a floor that raises the prospects for us, and those additional dollars will be available in the new year. We have had some meetings involving all officials and the federal officials to assign a process and assign some people to begin that discussion. As I said earlier, the secretary to Cabinet just returned from Ottawa a day ago. So we will be drafting a letter to inform Members exactly where we are in that process. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess my point is that I, along with many Members in this Assembly, have brought up a lot of issues about health care, issues concerning health care delivery and the health care system, and I am fully expecting that I will be involved in that process of deciding what to do with that money. I realize there are other policies that the government and the Premier have to work out with other governments but could I get a commitment from the Premier that, even though we will be out of session and going in all different directions, that we as Members and the other stakeholders in the medical professions and everywhere else will be full participants in deciding where this extra money will go? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Further Return To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, it is the Cabinet and the Minister that have primary responsibility for proposing how dollars and resources are best used for health. At the same time, it is true that the Members are involved. The recent $8.6 million supplementary allocation late in the previous year was, I think, attributed in part to lobbying and the concerns shown by Members as well as the public, and we responded to that. We are committed to working on a cooperative approach with Members of the Legislature and always being accountable and for taking advice on how best to use our limited resources. So I have no difficulty... in fact, we are very interested in working with Members to ensure that the public and Members of this House are comfortable with the way we make use of the existing annual resources for health. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Question 221-14(6): Update On Federal Health Funding
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.