Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just to wrap this up, again, I know we talked about this at length now, but, to me, if we don't send the message out there that it is not okay to run up huge deficits and come back to the Legislative Assembly to have us rubberstamp basically saying it is okay. You can run up a $7 million deficit. It is okay. We are just going to rubberstamp it and approve it anyway. I don't think that is the message that I want to get out there. I think these health operations in the regions have to be run effectively and they have to be managed effectively. They have to be funded effectively and judging by the deficits that have been allowed to accrue, that is not happening, for whatever reason. It is not being looked after properly, Mr. Chair. So I think it is a big problem. I think the Minister understands what I am trying to say here. It shouldn't happen. In a perfect world, I guess, it wouldn't happen. But how do we get the message out there to the Beaufort-Delta and to Stanton that this just can't happen? Maybe it is the department that is the problem. I am not sure. Maybe there has to be some kind of investigation with the department to try to figure out why this is happening. Are they underfunding Stanton? Are they underfunding the Beaufort-Delta? Are the Beaufort-Delta and Stanton being mismanaged? Those are questions we have to ask ourselves every time we are asked to rubberstamp this case $3.5 million and $1.6 million in the Beaufort-Delta. It adds up. Like I said, it is over $10 million in the past little while. We should be paying attention to this. We spend 30 percent of our budget on health care. It is something we should pay close attention to. We should try to monitor it properly. This isn't good monitoring, in my book, Mr. Chair. Again, we are just forced to accept the deficit and pay it. That is it.
David Ramsay on Motion To Extend Sitting Hours, Carried
In the Legislative Assembly on May 15th, 2007. See this statement in context.
Motion To Extend Sitting Hours, Carried
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
May 15th, 2007
Page 219
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