Thank you. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad to hear that there is a review underway, however, I'd like to ask the Minister a question that's been posed to me regarding coverage for travel expenses including mileage and the use of personal vehicles. There seems to be a real discrepancy between what we get as MLAs and what the seniors get for travel. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the Member is asking whether I will check into the discrepancy and see if there's any remediation possible, I will commit to do that.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to remind the Minister that when the Minister took his position as the Minister of Health and Social Services, roughly a year and a half ago, he committed in this House to do a review for the seniors, and one would think it would be done by now. I'd like to ask the Minister, why is it taking so long to get this review done? Our term is just about up and I haven't seen anything yet.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, there was a review that took about two years to do, and it was very comprehensive. Out of that, there was a seniors' action plan done in consultation with and approved by the NWT Seniors' Association. We just recently published an update and, as part of Seniors' Week last week, we released the update. The seniors' profile is part of that. We've committed in there to try to look at the seniors' programs and we struck an interdepartmental working committee that includes a member from the Seniors' Society. There are, I believe, 28 recommendations. Half of them are complete. So we are working at that. A supplementary health benefits review, which the seniors are part of, is also tied into that but it's a very comprehensive and complex review that's going to take more time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Your final supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess, Mr. Speaker, we'll have to wait for this review. I don't know what's so complicated when generally it's an accepted fact that there is not enough money for the seniors to get their health expenses covered. I'm hoping I could ask that the Minister would also include, as part of this review, options or ways to shorten and change the waits that the seniors have to see specialists and other doctors. Right now seniors have to wait up to eight months, if there is a specialist coming into the communities. Eight months is a long time for somebody who is 70 or 80 years old. I would like to ask the Minister if he would look at that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of waiting lists is a concern for all people that use the healthcare system. As the Members well know, we've been adding physicians, doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners. We made a move from fee-for-service to salary, which has had an impact on patients seen or not seen. So we have some review to do there as well. But the issue of waiting lists and shortening those is an issue that's going to require some possible structural changes, and it's probably going to be beyond the life of this Assembly. But it is an issue that we're trying to address on an ongoing basis so that we can get services in a timely fashion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.