Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to talk about health services. Prior to my return to Yellowknife for session, I received a call from a constituent in Sachs Harbour. Her husband was medevaced from Sachs Harbour to Inuvik and then to Yellowknife, after suffering a mild heart attack. She arrived in Inuvik to be with him the following day. When the patient was medevaced to Yellowknife she wanted to escort her husband, but was not allowed to because of an inability to speak English.

English should not dictate a need for escorts. She became aware of some instances where patients with less English were escorted outside of the communities. This person would like to know what is the policy for escorting patients.

Mr. Speaker, I called the Stanton Hospital on the weekend to find out how the patient was doing. They put me through to the intensive care unit and then the Transportation department and, to my dismay, they did not know where the patient was. This patient was waiting for bed space and was to be transferred to Edmonton. It makes me wonder, Mr. Speaker, how many other patients and their families have gone through this experience.

This concerns me, as well as my constituents. Mr. Speaker, I called again on Monday morning, and after being put through to a number of departments, I finally got word he was transferred to Edmonton, and I quote, "I believe to the Royal Alexandria." Families should be entitled to escort their loved ones, especially patients who have had heart attacks and are suffering from other terminal illnesses. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.