Please be seated.

I would like to say a very special thank you to Pastor Brad Dahr from the Seventh Day Adventist Church for coming in and saying our prayer for us and to Shad Turner for singing our national anthem.

Mr. Clerk, would you please ascertain whether the Commissioner, the Hon. Anthony W.J. Whitford, is prepared to enter the Chamber to open the Third Session of the 16th Legislative Assembly.

Orders of the Day. Item 3, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to update Members on an important initiative being

undertaken by the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

As Members are well aware, the challenges of rising fuel costs and climate change have forced all of us to place a renewed focus on energy efficiency. One of the most important places where energy improvements can be made is in the home. As winter approaches, we encourage homeowners and tenants alike to explore the many options available to them to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and mitigate the high cost of fuel.

The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is also making significant efforts to improve the energy efficiency of its housing stock. One of the most important efforts we are making is an assessment of existing housing designs to identify areas of enhancement that can achieve energy savings. While the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation has been delivering high quality housing for decades, as the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation I have directed my officials to move to the next level in terms of energy efficiency and conservation.

Over the coming year the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation will develop design plans to ensure that building envelopes and heating and ventilating systems in future construction projects achieve, at a minimum, an EnerGuide 80 rating. As an example, an EnerGuide 80 rating would typically require an R28 insulated wall, an R50 ceiling and an R40 floor, among other improvements. The EnerGuide rating system is used by Natural Resources Canada to evaluate the energy efficiency of a building. The EnerGuide 80 standard is the benchmark for high energy efficiency.

It is important that this effort be undertaken in a manner that balances increased capital costs with the need for energy conservation. Improvement to the current designs to an EnerGuide 80 rating or better will increase initial costs by 5 to10 per cent. Over the long term, however, this will yield a greater cost savings, and we will realize a return on investment within a relatively short period given the rising cost to operate a home.

The EnerGuide 80 score standard has been adopted by other provincial and municipal jurisdictions as the minimum score for a highly efficient home. The design enhancements for the NWT Housing Corporation will be finalized by mid 2009 in time for implementation for the 2010 construction season.

Mr. Speaker, while the enhancements to our new design represent a significant component of our efforts to conserve energy, there are also important savings that can be achieved through retrofits of our existing public housing stock. While on average a 20 year old home in Canada will typically score

66 on the EnerGuide scale, I am pleased to report that the NWT Housing Corporation’s houses typically score higher than the national average. But there is room for improvement. According to the Arctic Energy Alliance, retrofitting houses from an EnerGuide 70 score to an EnerGuide 80 may reduce greenhouse gas emissions and annual energy costs by 25 to 30 per cent.

The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is coordinating with Arctic Energy Alliance to conduct ecoENERGY evaluations on existing public housing units to establish EnerGuide ratings over the next six months. Evaluations on 70 to 100 public housing units are scheduled to be completed by April 2009. This will help determine the greatest emission/cost reduction for future energy retrofit upgrades.

As Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation I also feel strongly that improvements to our home designs are the right thing to do. It will save our clients money and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is one of the many energy efficient initiatives being undertaken by this government through the GNWT’s Energy Plan and Greenhouse Gas Strategy and serves as an example of how small improvements can go a long way in helping to protect our environment.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, the effectiveness of the government’s programs and services is determined by the quality of the people who deliver them. In today’s highly competitive labour market we need to do more to recognize that our staff are the government’s most valuable resource.

To attract qualified staff and create an environment that encourages them to remain with the Government of the Northwest Territories, it takes more than an investment of money. It also takes planning, vision and commitment. We believe that the government is a challenging and exciting organization that can provide staff with a range of opportunities. We need to invest enough effort and resources into making our government an employer of choice.

This means doing more than providing a competitive salary and benefits package. It also requires that staff have access to mentorship and training and that they have opportunities to advance within the organization. It means ensuring we have a government that actively strives to attract a

workforce that is representative of the population it serves.

We need to find more effective ways to attract aboriginal people into the government and support them to succeed. We need to model other employers who have made it a priority to accommodate persons with disabilities in the workplace.

Mr. Speaker, in order to accomplish this, I am pleased to announce that the Department of Human Resources is proceeding with the development of a comprehensive corporate human resource strategic plan for the Northwest Territories’ public service.

The strategic plan will describe the goals of the public service, document our internal and external challenges and outline the key initiatives that will be undertaken to achieve success. The plan will be based on consultation with

stakeholders, including

Members of this Assembly, as well as best practices from other public services. It will be grounded in the realities of working within the political, cultural, social and environmental landscape of the Canadian north. We will also provide a framework for the development of individual departmental human resource plans.

Finally, the plan will include a companion three year action plan that details specific short term objectives, actions, time frames and performance results to be achieved over the life of the 16th Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, the strategic plan will reflect the aspirations of multiple stakeholder groups. It will reflect the 16th Legislative Assembly’s priority to

“improve human resource management within the GNWT through training, career planning and encouraging innovation by employees.” It will be a foundation document guiding the work of thousands of public servants who will continue to provide the highest calibre of programs and services to the people of the Northwest Territories. And, finally, it will reflect the needs and aspirations of residents.

I look forward to keeping the Members of this Assembly informed as we move forward with this important initiative.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 4, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Today I would like to speak in regard to health and social services in the Mackenzie

Delta. I know I’ve raised questions in this House time and time again, yet with no results in regard to improvements in services and, more important, promoting a healthy environment and protection of our residents and protection of our youth and our seniors in our communities.

When we have a shortage of nurses or in some cases where we have health centres that we build in communities and they’re not functional because we don’t have nurses to operate them, there’s a breakdown in regard to services being provided for aboriginal communities. I think it’s that type of reality that we live in, in most communities. Yet, Mr. Speaker, we continue to see deficits run up in our large regional centres. In the case of Inuvik the government has bailed them out to the tune of $9 million over the last five years, but no services have been in place in one of our communities. Tsiigehtchic hasn’t had a nurse in that community for over five years.

In the community that I represent the core programs that really assist people in the area of mental health — frontline workers such as social workers, in regard to nurses, teachers…. Those are the individuals that really improve the quality of life in our communities. People feel that basically by having these services at their fingertips, it does improve the quality of life in our communities. But when we have a system where those aspects aren’t there, it deteriorates to a point where people are living in fear, wondering: “What’s going to happen when I get sick? Do I have to find a ride to the Inuvik hospital?” What’s going to happen in regard to an elderly person who basically has come down with cancer and has to go back to their home community, not realizing that they don’t have a health care service provider in that community?

I think that this government has to take this issue seriously. It has a direct implication to the government by way of costs. If anything, the costs escalate when you don’t have frontline workers, and more importantly, the individual medical costs and transportation, locums…. People basically have to carry those extra costs. It has a direct effect.

Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Health questions on this matter later.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Mr. Speaker, the amount of money generated from lottery proceeds in the NWT was $3 million last year, a significant amount of money. Currently in the NWT proceeds of the Western Canada Lottery program are exclusively allocated

to sports organizations. The NWT is the only jurisdiction in Canada that exclusively allocates lottery proceeds to sports. Alberta and British Columbia divide their lottery proceeds between many different organizations and causes, and the Yukon divides its proceeds between arts and cultural programs and sports programs.

The arts play a significant role in a community’s economy and well-being. National statistics show that, on average, investments in the arts result in an 8 to 1 payback to the community for every dollar invested in the form of increased tourism, increased businesses for restaurants and jobs created, to name a few of the spin-off benefits. The arts contribute to a lively, healthy community and give our youth a vehicle to express themselves creatively in positive ways, typically using local materials and resources. They are also an integral part of a diversified economy. As we already rely so strongly upon our non-renewable resources, our territory is going to continue to be vulnerable to the vagaries of the global economy. A healthy arts and culture industry can help us withstand these difficult swings.

Mr. Speaker, our neighbours in the Yukon have recognized this and are benefiting from a burgeoning tourism industry, due in part to their superior level of funding arts and culture in comparison to our territory.

Mr. Speaker, I want to make it clear that I’m not suggesting that we reduce funding for sports in the NWT. I recognize that sports play an indispensable role in the lives of our youth and contribute to maintaining healthy communities. I also want to acknowledge that this Assembly has begun to recognize the importance of the arts through increased funding, and I applaud this effort. However, there is still room for additional support, and I think that some access to lottery funds is a valid place to start. There is certainly a possibility of increasing lottery revenue in the NWT. If arts organizations were involved in advertising, I have little doubt that we would start to see an increase in lottery revenues that could be split and used for the increased benefit of both sports and arts and culture — two vitally important aspects of our society.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yellowknife’s natural surroundings and safe, small town atmosphere are things that make our capital city unique. Sadly, in recent years this sense of

security is no longer the case. We’re experiencing an increase in break and enters as well as drug trafficking. The popular Frame Lake walking trail has become a scene of violent crimes.

Some proactive citizens have created the Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition, a community policing organization made up of trained volunteers. Their Citizens on Patrol is a neighbourhood watch service that acts as eyes and ears only — observers who report suspicious and dangerous behaviour to the RCMP. These are things we can all do to be community minded. Thanks to contributions from municipal, territorial and federal governments the Community Wellness Coalition service patrol has leased a van to drive through Yellowknife picking people up and bringing them to safe places to stay, be it their homes or one of the shelters. This service is crucial in the winter for people’s personal safety and in the summer for collective safety downtown.

Mr. Speaker, what I’m seeing here is a vicious cycle. Needy people are taken to shelters that are already crowded and financially stretched. When these places reach capacity or can only provide a limited range of services, the same people who were brought there are forced onto the streets again. Many of them gather in places such as the bush along Frame Lake Trail, on the rocks behind Sir John Franklin High School and on Tin Can Hill. It is hard to go for a walk in Yellowknife’s green spaces without coming across someone’s campsite. These people often struggle with addictions, and their desperate condition makes them more susceptible to injury and disease and increased addiction that in turn leads to more crime.

Services like our shelters in the Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition rely on the dedicated efforts of volunteers. To avoid burnout, they need to increase their number of personnel and provide more training, but they are unable to due to limited funding to the voluntary sector. The Department of Justice has shown a lot of support for the Wellness Coalition, but more help is needed to continue their services. They need a small amount of office space, a part time coordinator and fuel for their van.

We need to examine where we are putting our dollars. We need to break this vicious cycle. We need to fund programs that are already working and help the people that are already helping others. We need to feel secure enough to be able to give tips to the RCMP without fearing for our personal safety. Mr. Speaker, we all want a capital city that is clean and safe. We should be able to enjoy its unique character and step outdoors to see the northern lights or sunset after midnight without being afraid.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be asking the Justice Minister some questions about community wellness and policing.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mahsi cho. [English translation not provided.]

The Fort Simpson Health Centre provides a range of health services to residents of the Deh Cho region. Unfortunately, the existing facility requires renovation to adequately provide these services.

Mr. Speaker, renovations were slated to take place in this facility, but it appears that this project has been taken off the books and funding has been deferred. The facility is scheduled for a half life renovation in 2019. That’s ten years into the future. The health centre staff and the residents of the Deh Cho can’t wait that long. Adequate work space is already at a premium, and service delivery is being impacted by this situation on a daily basis.

Mr. Speaker, quality health care services are being compromised by the lack of appropriate space to deliver these services. I urge the Minister to ensure that the renovation of the Fort Simpson Health Centre is funded in this upcoming fiscal year.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak about the difficulties a constituent is encountering in dealing with Health and Social Services. My constituent has multiple sclerosis, or MS, as it is commonly referred to.

MS attacks the covering of the brain, causing inflammation and scarring. When this happens, the usual flow of nerve impulses along nerve fibres is interrupted or distorted. MS can be a very debilitating and progressive disease. Symptoms can include extreme fatigue, loss of balance, problems with coordination, stiffness of muscles, speech problems, bladder and bowel problems, short term memory loss and partial or complete paralysis.

Mr. Speaker, anyone living with MS can experience some or all of these symptoms. I was very concerned when my constituent contacted me at the beginning of this month to tell me that she had

been turned down by Extended Health Benefits for a WalkAide, which was duly prescribed by a neurologist. The WalkAide is a functional electrical stimulation device that allows a person who has MS to walk without dragging their feet. When my constituent contacted health benefits, she was told that the WalkAide was a luxury that was not covered by Extended Health Benefits.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know if the Minister of Health and Social Services also thinks that walking should be considered a luxury in our territory. I had contacted the Minister’s office with my concerns, and it took them close to three weeks to write me back, saying my constituent should phone the deputy minister. I am completely at a loss as to why it took three weeks to say we will get her a cane or a wheelchair, and she can phone the deputy minister so he can assign staff to review her file so she could be provided with financial support equivalent to what she would have been eligible for, which would be a cane or a wheelchair. This is completely unacceptable.

In Alberta these devices are helping those suffering with MS, and they are being distributed for free to help people. Why is this product not on the list in the Northwest Territories? I thought we were in the business of helping our residents, Mr. Speaker. My constituent wants to walk with dignity, not with a cane and certainly not be in a wheelchair, though she had to purchase this device herself. Why would the government not cover such a device? At $4,500 it would be a small price to pay for a person’s quality of life.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. People pay taxes their entire life, and when they encounter a serious health issue like MS, the government should be there for them. In this case they weren’t, and that’s a shame.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every year a large amount of money gets thrown on the proverbial table of the Legislative Assembly. For our approximately 42,000 residents, $1.2 billion in round numbers goes on the table. Departments and deputies and their Ministers elected to oversee them put together business plans which form the basis of our annual budget. Our territory is diverse in so many ways, and although our resources are

great, so are the many needs of our regions, communities and residents.

It’s our job as the stewards of the public purse to spend our resources in the public interest in the fairest, most effective and most prudent way possible. That is what is expected of us, and nothing less. We have the power and, more importantly, the responsibility to put in place checks and balances that ensure transparency and accountability in the way that we disburse and distribute our financial resources.

There is no mechanism outside of this Assembly that will hold to account that process, other than the court of public opinion and the confidence that puts us here in the first place. The budget is the people’s; they merely entrust us with its management to match it to the needs of those same people to the best of our collective ability. Let’s remind ourselves often that with the power that comes with being at the table at which $1.2 billion is laid down every year comes an ominous obligation to fairness and accountability. That requires balancing the interests of many, as I said. We know this is a political environment where people are passionate about their constituencies and those needs, myself amongst them.

To that end, Mr. Speaker, and to the issue of fairness, I would like to thank my colleagues on this side of the House who on Monday voted unanimously in support of moving forward the funding required for the renovation of Diamond Jenness Secondary School in my riding. I do appreciate their support and their recognition of this being the fair and right thing to do. I want to assure Members on this side of the House and the other side that I will continue to support them in any way I can to realize the aspirations of their constituencies as I listen to their issues.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi Cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Today I rise once again to talk about our youth. On numerous occasions I have taken this opportunity to bring attention to our youth concerns. I have talked about the need to assist communities so they can deliver community based programming. I’ve talked about youth projects. I’ve talked about the need to put youth related facilities in smaller communities. This is very important.

Mr. Speaker, I talked about the importance of hiring qualified youth workers. Hiring is the first step, and being able to keep these individuals is a critical factor for successful youth programming. The

communities need this help. I talked about how communities are best suited to know what works for their youth. Communities need to be engaged right from the start. They are the experts. They know the families. They know the issues. I talked about the benefits of successful youth programs, including health benefits for youth, social and justice benefits for the communities, educational and economical benefits for the NWT. A successful youth program results in healthier individuals, healthier communities and in the long run a healthier NWT.

Mr. Speaker, some communities are delivering successful youth programs; however, more often than not these can be found in the larger centres. It is rare to find this level of success in small communities, but when you do, it is usually because the community is lucky enough to have one local individual who is dedicated to the community and the youth.

Having attended the successful Aboriginal Sport Circle award dinner last week, I was once again reminded of the importance of youth. At this time I would like to congratulate the Aboriginal Sport Circle on the tremendous work they are doing with the NWT youth.

Mr. Speaker, in light of some of the success stories here, I feel that our government is still not taking the youth issue seriously. Our youth budgets remain low. Communities still need to hire and retain qualified youth workers. Small communities need to build facilities for their youth. Smaller, isolated communities need help to send their youth to sporting events. An example: a team from Lutselk’e to play Super Soccer here in Yellowknife will cost $4,000.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In February 2006 and again in March 2007 I made a Member’s statement on the need to perform regular performance or value for money audits on Crown corporations owned by the GNWT. In response to my repeated questions, the Finance Minister indicated this was something he was willing to examine. Well, another year has gone by, and I have yet to hear from the Minister, or even the new Minister, to see or hear about any concept being implemented.

We all know that Crown corporations are subjected to annual financial audits by the Auditor General’s office, which examines the books and ensures the financial reporting practices are in accordance with

recognized accounting principles. While this is a valuable exercise, Mr. Speaker, it does not provide the directors of the Crown corporations or the shareholders — which are the residents of the NWT as represented by this government and our MLAs — with the indication that the Crown corporations’ resources are being managed efficiently and that the operations are being carried out as effectively as possible.

Mr. Speaker, one of the most important roles of Regular Members is to hold the government to account for the use of taxpayers’ money. Regular performance audits of Crown corporations are especially important, because Regular Members do not review the yearly budget and business plans of Crown corporations like we do for regular departments. This is a lack of direct oversight on the part of the elected MLAs for our Northerners at large. We have seen the benefits of performance audits. Most recently the NWT Housing Corporation was under an audit by the office of the Auditor General. As a result, significant issues were identified, and a work plan to address these operational issues is now being implemented. There are a number of other government owned entities, like the NWT Power Corp, that would benefit from a regular performance audit to help address many of the questions and concerns Northerners have about that operation.

Mr. Speaker, we need to move ahead on this. Other jurisdictions, like the Government of Canada, have legislation that requires special examination of Crown corporations. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the NWT continues not to.

We have an opportunity through the revision of the Financial Administration Act to address this gap. The Auditor General’s Office has agreed to work with this government on this problem. We need to recognize and partner with them to make sure this happens.

Mr. Speaker, I will be raising this issue during question period later today. Hopefully the government will finally move forward on this initiative.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Mr. Speaker, many people ask me: what’s the best way to rejuvenate our economy in Nunakput? The answers are plenty, but few of them are being considered by this government. It definitely excludes raising northern taxes for Northerners.

Mr. Speaker, the economic forecast for Canada and our international partners is looking bleak. Even

though the International Monetary Fund says Canada could be one of the only countries to avoid recession, this government must do what it can do to maintain the growth.

Realistically, the Northwest Territories has been experiencing very good times. Year after year the North has either surpassed the country in economic growth or

definitely been in the top percentage, but

these good times have been only in specific areas, such as Yellowknife. Creating jobs is the best way of having a vibrant community, but in Nunakput job creation is unique and difficult and has its challenges.

This government must do more to assist small businesses in the communities and regions to develop capacity infrastructure and attract industry investments and jobs. This is why I cannot understand why this government wants to hinder the economy and creation of jobs for Northerners by increasing taxes and the overall cost of living.

Mr. Speaker, under the current process the criteria for assistance for regions such as ours are unrealistic. The grants are uniform and designed for businesses in larger centers. This government needs to develop a coalition of partners and stakeholders for the Nunakput region due to their unique set of challenges and promote and coordinate a truly northern, regional and intergovernmental approach at rejuvenating the economy.

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Now that we have closed the book on the 2009–2010 capital budget, I would like to provide my thoughts on the process.

First, the change in timing for the consideration and approval of the Capital Acquisition Plan is a positive step. There’s a better probability that projects will get activated and started early enough to take advantage of the summer construction season, but at the moment it only works in theory. It hasn’t yet been tested. There must be an evaluation of this new process after this year — say early 2010 — to see if the change in timing really does produce a better result.

A second seemingly new tactic for this year’s Capital Estimates is the dropping of projects from the previous year’s Capital Acquisition Plan if

planning is lacking. I support this change. It makes the plan more realistic, in my view.

Third, the Finance Minister and his staff provided Members with lots of information about the Capital Acquisition Plan projects and provided it in a timely manner. I personally appreciated receiving the substantiation and background information. As I have mentioned before, I would like to see a priority attached to each project. I feel it would assist Members in evaluating these projects.

Fourth, the department should provide the government’s long range Capital Plan to Members well in advance of any draft Capital Estimates that go to Members. As you have heard more than once, there is a genuine concern on this side of the House about the equitable sharing of projects and capital dollars among all of our 33 communities. This has always been a problem and will likely continue on after we’re all no longer here. A solution may be to calculate the cost per capita for each of our communities and each riding to determine if the distribution is fair. If this is shared with Members, I know you’ll get feedback. Members are always looking for an opportunity to provide input.

Fifth, this year’s infrastructure plan has a big focus on deferred maintenance. I fully support this approach. We need to ensure that this focus is maintained on an ongoing basis. Another new initiative this year was action to reduce our carry-over amounts from one year to the next. I feel this will make the Capital Plan more realistic as we go forward. Eventually we may actually have a plan where all projects start and end when they should. That would be a good thing.

With any plan, as circumstances change, so should the plan. It should reflect the present, not the past.

Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to my colleagues. Our capital infrastructure plan should not be set in stone from one year to the next. If necessary, projects should be dropped or added. For the deletion of projects that are in the 2008–09 capital budget but not in the ’09–10 budget, I saw and heard little evidence of valid reasons for the deletion. Members should be given information on deletions as part of the substantiation package accompanying any Capital Estimates document.

I appreciate this opportunity to provide my comments to the Finance Minister. I hope he takes these comments as constructive criticism and an attempt to improve on the final product.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, over the last couple of days I had the opportunity to look back into our education system and how culture has played a very important role in our lives and how we’ve tried to move culture into the education system to teach our children about our culture.

I had a very eye opening discussion this morning with my wife. My little boy is six years old. We wanted to have him wear a fur hat, but his grandmother said not until he’s past six years old can he wear a fur hat. That’s our way of life as aboriginal people. That’s what we teach our children.

I told my wife, “I wonder how much people know about this in our community — how much they know about our culture, about little boys.” He got a name from his grandmother. That name is something he grows up with and that’s who he becomes. How many people in our own culture know that or continue practising that?

We looked again at certain things. I said, “It’s fall time. Fall time is the time to pick berries. How do we involve our elders in our communities to pick berries?” It’s a very sacred meaning time, to pick berries and make jam instead of going to the Northern and buying jam. We actually have spiritual and cultural values to pick berries, make jam and give it to the elders. There’s medicine in there. But we don’t.

How much value do we put into our education in terms of culture? How many millions do we put into our culture? We’ve really got to ask these questions of our own people in our own communities: how valued is our culture, our way of life? Right now we’re thinking that we depend on government to do this and that for us.

We’re Dene people, aboriginal people, Inuit people. We’ve got to stand up; I think we’ve got to make a stand for education. That’s the hardest thing to do in our life: make something good for ourselves. We did it in our past, so there’s no difference for us to do it today.

At the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker, I’ll have questions for Hon. Jackson Lafferty, Minister of Education and Culture.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today we need to welcome Joseph Palukset and his wife, Elsie Cretenbert, to the House all the way from Ulukhaktok. Welcome to the House.

Also, I would like to recognize Mr. Greg Huff from the Aboriginal Sport Circle and tell him to keep up the good work in what he’s been doing.

It is my pleasure today to recognize in the visitor’s gallery the mayor for Hay River, his Worship Marc Miltenberger.

I would like to recognize my C.A., Joe Bailey, and his brother Greg Hopf.

I would like to recognize Shad Turner. He gave us a beautiful rendition of our national anthem. Also, Mr. Paul Andrews, another Weledeh resident. Welcome to the House.

I as well would like to recognize J.M. Miltenberger, the younger — my brother Jean-Marc Miltenberger, a successful businessman and mayor of Hay River.

I would like to recognize a member of the Tulita people, Mr. Paul Andrew, the main man to hang focus on.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Welcome to everybody in the gallery today. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement I talked about culture and education. I would like to ask the Minister of Education how many dollars are going into my region, the Sahtu region, into the educational system in terms of

teaching and providing cultural opportunities for our children.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We do provide various program dollars to the community to promote and enhance our language and our culture, our special way of life, in all regions and in all the schools that we provide funding to. We do get certain funding from the federal government as well. And there is a $1.9 million pot of funding we provide towards that program.

I could provide that detailed information to the Member as to the Sahtu region — specific details of what kind of program dollars they are getting in the riding. Mahsi.

I look forward to the information the Minister is going to provide to me and possibly the other Members of the House in terms of the funding that is being provided to the communities and our region.

I’ll ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment: in terms of the authority over cultural programs being implemented into our communities, would the Minister commit to sitting down and talking to the education board to look at how to increase cultural programs into the Sahtu community in order to have a balance of academic and cultural teaching?

Certainly there are always ways of improving certain programs or enhancing certain programs. I’m looking forward to the discussion that will take place within the region of Sahtu and to working with the local DEA and also the regional educational council representatives. They are the ones we contribute the program dollars to, to deliver the school programs.

I will be more than happy to meet with the Member and also his representatives to deal with this particular item. If there needs to be improvement, it will be Northwest Territories–wide, so we can certainly talk further on that. Mahsi.

Again, I certainly appreciate the Minister making efforts to come into Sahtu and meet with the people there, with the appropriate boards and authorities.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Minister if he would consider something like they do in Russia with their education programs. In the mornings they have a culture program, just for the morning. They have dancing; they have languages. In the afternoon they provide the academic structure. I would ask the Minister if that type of consideration could be given to the majority of the people in my region,

who are average people who should be looking at how we involve the teachers, parents and the elders in teaching that type of culture.

That can be one of our topics of discussion when we are meeting with the various parties within the Sahtu region. We do have an integrated cultural and language curriculum in the schools as well. We can talk further on that.

I will bring my department in to discuss what we currently deliver in the schools in the 33 communities we serve. The programs are outlined in all the communities, so we will discuss further where we need to improve in certain areas. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our educational boards are doing very well with the limited dollars we have. We are following a national accreditation in terms of what we need to do to pass our students to the next grade.

I feel that within our own schools we are excluding certain professors in our schools, such as the elders. The elders have a wealth of knowledge, yet when we try to get them in there, they’re challenged because of the income. They get dinged by social security, by the federal government. They want to come in, but if they do come in, their pension cheque is going to go down, so it hinders them.

I want to ask the Minister: would he be able to take his leadership within his department, work with the other Cabinet Ministers? We’ve got to have these professors, these elders, in our schools. We have got to teach our younger children, because they are missing that part of their education. We don’t have them. We have people coming from outside who don’t have that knowledge of our community and our language and our culture. We’ve got to have the elders in our schools. If we don’t, Mr. Speaker, that’s a crying shame today.

I certainly agree with the Member as to the value and the wisdom that elders bring to the school system and also to the community. We must cherish that and also work with that. We as a department have been dealing with this particular issue, because it’s not only in the Sahtu region but Northwest Territories–wide that schools would like to fully utilize elders’ services.

They are penalized from their pension as well when they get honorarium cheques or casual paycheques. We are dealing with that issue right now. We are talking about options in different scenarios as to how we can deliver an effective program where they don’t get penalized. We will continue to work with that, Mr. Speaker. I will continue to work with the Member and also the

members of the standing committee to improve in this area.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Finance, and I would like to thank him again for the opportunity to tell him what he should be doing.

I’d like to ask a question of the Minister relative to the changes to this year’s plan and the opportunity or the possibility of an evaluation. I’d like to know if the Minister can advise the House, and me in particular, of any plans he has to evaluate this new budget process.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, as well, always appreciate an opportunity when the Member has to tell me what to do. I appreciate her advice.

In this case we are very much on the same page. We’ve already had discussions with staff that we want to do a debrief about how the process works. We’d like to come and sit down with committee, as well, to get feedback so that we can, as we look to the cycle next year, address a lot of the issues that may come up. A lot of them may be issues related to process or content.

We are very much interested in trying to learn from this first run through, now that it’s been field tested. I believe there are opportunities for improvement.

I thank the Minister for his comments. It’s always wonderful when both sides of the House are on the same page.

I mentioned in my statement that Members on this side of the House have indicated a concern with equal sharing of dollars and so on. There has also been expressed over the last several months a need for Members to have input into the Capital Plan, a need for Members to get a project on the list. I’d like to ask the Minister what he intends to do to enable Members to get a project on the list. We need a new process, because the current one isn’t working.

Mr. Speaker, firstly, I would differ somewhat from the Member’s characterization that the system is not working. It’s working, and I think that for the most part it works well. In some cases it may not be working as well

as we would like, but I think overall…. We’ve been evolving this process for many, many decades now.

We have come up with what we think are the latest improvements, where we will commit to providing a ten year retrospective for Members. We’ll look at the 20-year plan going forward. We’re going to get feedback, we hope, from committee in terms of the process and steps that are currently there. We already have a significant number of steps and processes that have been put in place to ensure, to the best of our ability, fairness and equity. It’s still an issue that has not been satisfactorily addressed. Collectively, I believe that we can go forward to make improvements to this system that is working but that we want to make work better.

The Minister mentioned a number of actions that are currently in place to try and determine an equitable distribution of dollars and projects. Again, I say there is certainly a perception that that is not operating as efficiently as it should, or certainly it’s not to the satisfaction of Members on this side of the House.

I guess I would like to know from the Minister what actions or what things are currently in place. What do they currently do when they are looking at projects? What do they do to try and ensure that it’s a fair distribution?

We work with a committee of deputies. We work with the Cabinet. We work with committees to review the plans. We’re committed to reviewing and updating the 20 year plan. We started a new process this year. We have an infrastructure committee that’s at work on improvements to the capital planning process.

This new staging of the process in the fall, for example, is one of those significant improvements that we brought forward collectively. We’re going to look to what other advice the infrastructure committee brings forward and, as well, whatever input the committee and Regular Members would provide from Priorities and Planning.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks again to the Minister. I guess I would like to suggest that perhaps his perception of how fair things are is not the same as what’s over here and not the same as my own. If there is a per capita cost to the projects within individual communities, it certainly isn’t even. I would like to suggest that there needs to be a better opportunity for Members to feel that the distribution is even.

I’d like to ask the Minister, as a last question.... I understand that individual years certainly can vary from one year to the next or that amounts can vary per community from one year to the next, but does

the department ever consider a five year average, for instance, on a per capita basis for projects?

We provided the Members information over a four year period both by constituency and by community to give Members a sense of the money that was spent. We managed to get the housing dollars as well as the money contributed by MACA, which makes for a significant amount of money that we are spreading across the North.

We want to be very careful as we look at per capita. It’s one of the issues we always take exception to when we deal with the federal government when they want to allocate the money that they have on a per capita basis, because invariably, because of the small size of our population, we get a very small amount of money. We have been arguing for years for a base plus approach to funding arrangements. It’s the same approach that MACA used or is using when they allocate money to the communities. They’ve agreed to a formula where there is a base, I believe, of about $600,000, then plus, based on the size of your population, which recognizes that there are larger communities.

So there are ways for us to look at how capital is allocated. But I can tell you from my own experience, per capita, for us, is going to be a process that’s not going to be fair. We know right off the top that Yellowknife and all the large communities would get by far the vast amount of capital.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of ITI. Considering the bleak forecast of the economy here at home and all over the world, considering that even during the good times many of the communities did not benefit economically, what’s government going to do in the short term — within the next three months is Christmas season — to keep the economy healthy?

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Northwest Territories has been in the enviable position where it’s been sheltered more than other jurisdictions from the volatility of the national and world economies, especially since our gross domestic product has been consistently strong over the past ten years.

But as a government we’ve introduced some new initiatives. Most recently we’re just in the process of

rolling out the SEED Policy, the Strategic Entrepreneurial and Economic Development Program which is geared to levels 2 and 3 communities. We are investing $2.5 million that’s now available under this new policy. The approach we’re taking as a government is to focus on developing an economy in every community. We’re working very hard on that, and we think we’ve been successful in the Nunakput region.

It’s Nun-ak-put, for the Minister, with a “T.”

Will the government find innovative and cooperative solutions to allow small businesses in our small communities to truly benefit from government contracts and spending?

In keeping with our approach of developing the economy in every community, we’re looking at trying to do that in all of the 33 communities of the Northwest Territories. In the Nunakput riding there are four communities, so we think we’re well underway, as Tuk has oil and gas. In Sachs Harbour we’re working on developing the muskox harvesting program. For Ulukhaktok we have a subsidiary developed, a Holman Island subsidiary, to start up the art and print making, and Paulatuk has the Darnley Bay resources. So we’re working very hard in that area, and we’re working with the members of the community.

Will the government work with the regional centres, such as Nunakput businesses, and federal and local governments, to review and implement measures to the truly strategic coordination of streamlining with our great territory’s economic development?

We’re prepared to work with all of the agencies and governments involved in economic development in the region. We’re currently negotiating an MOU on contracting with the Inuvialuit regional council. We are always working for better coordination and streamlining.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.

None at this time. I heard all that good news.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During my Member’s statement today I talked about the issue of performance audits. What I really wanted to try to characterize is the fact that performance audits are

actually like a barometer test. They tell you how healthy an organization is by looking at how the organization deals with its policies and are we getting value for money.

So, Mr. Speaker, my question goes to the newly minted Finance Minister. I’m curious if he understands the importance of the issue I’m raising, and would he be willing to implement a Crown corporation accountability act along with the updating of the GNWT’s FAA, the Financial Administration Act.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t feel that I’m newly minted. I’ve been the Minister now for four months, and I’ve had four months of hard riding on me. I feel I’m, I think, ready to roll — seasoned, as the Member says.

The issue of performance reviews. There are annual financial audits done. We have the ability though motions and requests to get the Auditor General in to look at Crown corporations. We’ve just structured a program review committee in government that’s going to start looking at the operations of government. As well, we have the opportunity, as has been mentioned in this House and spoken to by the Premier, the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, to take a look at the very fundamental operations of the Power Corporation and how we generate and distribute electricity and how we’re structured across the board for that particular service, including the regulatory regime. I think we have many opportunities.

Usually performance audits are specifically set up with a specific terms of reference. If the Member is talking about an annual process or a semi-annual process, we’d have to talk about that.

Mr. Speaker, I promised to be nice to the Minister because his little brother was in the gallery. I may not have used “seasoned.” I normally would have used “galvanized” or “crusty” Minister. But for the sake of being nice, of course, I won’t say those words today.

I’m asking for a reasonable time, value for money audit. The Auditor General does a value for money audit on the federal departments in between five and ten year blocks. That’s the kind of thing I’m suggesting. I wouldn’t suggest we do one every week, every year, every two years. Then they build up a program, and if the Crown corporation is working healthy, they push it back on the list. That’s what I’m asking for.

Would the Minister hear my call on this initiative for value for money audits and take a look at this and see if we could possibly implement something?

Mr. Speaker, I arise galvanized by my colleague’s questions to respond with alacrity and great definity.

Mr. Speaker, we have the opportunity, through the strategic plans…. For example, the Housing Corporation has just incorporated an accompanying action plan to look at having that built in. The government is moving, too, across the board for all the departments to have strategic plans. I’m sure they’re the same discussions we had in regard to the Power Corporation, and that is what is deemed beneficial or essential. So I think the opportunity’s there to look at those processes, especially if it’s tied into a regular strategic planning process and renewal process of that strategic plan.

Mr. Speaker, I didn’t hear an outright no, but it sure sounded like one slipped in there somehow.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister citing a strategic plan, but the problem is it’s not a strategic plan issue; it’s an accountability factor that could be built into legislation, and the legislation could be amended to reflect this issue specifically and on the appropriateness.

Would the Minister of Finance be willing to look at this issue and work with the Auditor General’s office? The Edmonton office has offered their resources to help with this type of program. Would he be willing to look at that and bring something back to this House to address this need of value for money audits?

Mr. Speaker, my assumption was that I was stating quite unequivocally that there’s an opportunity here through the strategic planning process that departments are moving to and that corporations like the Housing Corporation have moved to, to build that process in. If that is something that is deemed appropriate, through the discussions in the House and as we go through the business planning process in the coming week, and that is an issue that has value enough built into the way we do business, then the opportunity is there through that process. As I understood the Member to say, in his mind he thought it would be every four to five years.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can I get a commitment and recognition from the Minister that the NWTAC has requested the Auditor General’s office, through a letter to all Members of the Assembly, that the NWT Power Corp go through a value for money audit? Would the Minister be willing to commit to follow up on this issue? Recognizing that even though the Power Corp doesn’t necessarily fall under his portfolio, I think sound fiscal management falls on his shoulders.

Therefore, I hope he would lead the charge in recognition of this difficult problem. Would he be willing to follow up on it?

The Premier is the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation and has already indicated through questions in the House

—

and it’s been well discussed with

Members in other settings

—

that there’s an

opportunity here, as we look at the electrical rate review, the energy strategy and all the energy priorities that we’re developing, to take a very fundamental look at the Power Corporation

—

the

regulatory regime, how we generate and distribute electricity. I think that opportunity is there. Through that process, if a regular, built in review is deemed appropriate, that would be the venue to in fact have that built in.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I talked about the need for this government to look at helping smaller communities with their youth programs. I have questions for the Minister of MACA.

Mr. Speaker, last week I asked the Minister about increasing youth budgets for communities. His response was: if there’s an opportunity to increase funding for youth, that’s something he would look at. My question today is: will the Minister commit to taking action to ensure youth budgets are increased for 2009–2010?

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I admire the Member’s perseverance and commitment to an important issue, and it’s an issue that we all share in this House. Having said that, we are identifying more youth funding, and as part of identifying the youth funding, we’re hoping to come forward in the business plan. That should increase some of the funding to a lot of youth organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I also asked about a review of the youth budgets and how they’re allocated to my communities in Tu Nedhe. I got a commitment from the Minister that he will do this.

I would like to follow up today by asking the Minister if he would give me a time frame as to when this review can be completed, keeping in mind that I’m talking about Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e.

Those commitments are coming back to bite me. I did say that we would do

a review, and I commit again to the Member that we will do a review. Once we’re done sitting in the House, we’ll have an opportunity to sit down with the department and give them a schedule of when I’d like to see a review done. I will certainly pass that information on to the Member.

Mr. Speaker, I felt one option for getting this government and the communities off on the right foot to start looking at youth issues in the communities is to look at a community based youth strategy specific to this particular community or that particular community of Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution.

I would like to follow up on this by asking the Minister if he will give me a time frame on when he can get started with the community based youth strategy.

Mr. Speaker, for a lot of the community youth strategy MACA will have to have a lot of direct input from the community to work together to come up with a plan for a strategy for the community. I did commit that we would start looking into this. As I said in my previous answer, once we’re done in the House, I’ll have an opportunity to sit down with the department and come up with a schedule of all the commitments I have made and try and see how soon we can come forward with strategies and other information for the Members of this Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. A final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Minister for those responses. I also spoke about the Aboriginal Sport Circle and how they deliver programs in many small communities, including Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution. I’d like to ask the Minister if he could commit to increasing the Aboriginal Sport Circle budget to be in line with other territorial sporting organizations.

Mr. Speaker, the budget for the Aboriginal Sport Circle…. I mean, if we’re looking at increasing budgets, particularly for youth groups, I’m sure that would be taken into consideration. That would come up during our review. Any increase would come up during the review of the business plans, which we’ll be undertaking in a couple of weeks.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Speaker, in follow-up to the questions I asked yesterday in the House, the public is always very interested in what MLA pay

and benefits are. To that end, the independent commission on Members’ pay and benefits is struck at least a once every term, and the recommendations go into effect for the following government. Members have an opportunity for input into that as well.

What I was trying to question the Premier about yesterday was the enhanced or additional benefits that are only available to Cabinet Ministers. I was trying to get the Premier yesterday to confirm — and I’ll try again today — that, in fact, the policy for the ministerial benefit is actually decided on and voted on by the Cabinet.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Hon. Premier, Mr. Roland.

Yes.

I thank the Premier for that. I did mention yesterday that, understandably, capital accommodation, home travel, spousal travel, perhaps even the entertainment allowance — some of these things will definitely be there. There is one area of the ministerial benefit which I find a little bit curious and that I referred to yesterday as well, and that is the accruing of holidays that get paid out to Ministers at the end of the year or at the end of their term. This is something quite unique and different, obviously, than what Regular Members have access to. So I am going to ask the Premier: why would the Cabinet policy find it necessary to approve holiday benefits, vacation benefits, and pay them out to Ministers at the end of either the year or their term?

That section of the benefits policy has in fact been around for many governments. We follow the same process that has been recommended to us through the last change, and we follow what we would do with government employees. Being a Cabinet Minister is considered full time work throughout the year. If a Minister has to take time off, they have to actually put in their application forms and follow through with that. It would be paid out at the end of the term if it’s not used up.

I fully realize that it has been the practice of past governments. I just find it an anomaly, and it is bit unusual. I don’t really know if I totally subscribe to the idea that it should be that way because Cabinet Ministers are full time employees of the government; that is debatable.

Mr. Speaker, the other issue that is interesting and different is the enhanced benefits for Cabinet Ministers when it comes to life insurance, dental and health benefits. Now if, heaven forbid, something should happen to any of us in the performance of our duties, we do have a government life insurance policy which would then go to our beneficiary, to our family. Why would that

need to be enhanced for Cabinet Ministers? What would make that need different?

I would have to get further information on the areas the Member spoke to on dental and health benefits. I would have to get a little further detail on that and get back to the Member.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Of course, heaven forbid that anything untoward should ever happen to any Member of this House — or anybody, for that matter — but here is an example of where this difference in the enhanced benefit would come into play. If Mr. Roland and I were flying on the same airplane and if the airplane crashed and we both lost our lives, Mr. Roland’s family would receive a benefit of $750,000; my family would receive a benefit of $250,000. It is a discrepancy. I just don’t understand why it’s necessary. It doesn’t make sense to me. And, honestly, it costs the taxpayers, the public purse, money for that. Mr. Speaker, why the difference?

The benefits policy established that it is the Cabinet of the day that can review many of those policies that are in place to see if they continue to make sense. I don’t have the information as to why it was at that level or how long it has been at that level. In fact, Mrs. Groenewegen just provided me with information that my family would be well taken care of, I guess. Hopefully they never have to use that section of our policy. But I will look at this information. As I say, now that this review is within the control of the Cabinet, we can make some changes, whether it is administrative processes or implementation, and see if it uses the same basis of recommendations being made for Cabinet that is made for Members.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. They go back to my Member’s statement from earlier today, where I spoke of a constituent who suffers from MS and her inability to get a WalkAide, which would enable her to walk, through Extended Health Benefits with the Department of Health. In her conversations with departmental officials they told her that this WalkAide was a luxury. I take great exception to anybody at Health and Social Services telling my constituent that a WalkAide, which would enable them to walk, is a luxury and suggesting to

them that they get a cane or a wheelchair. I’d like to ask the Minister why the WalkAide is not part of our Extended Health Benefits here in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT EHB Program is one of the best in the country. I understand that Mr. Ramsay’s constituent’s equipment, called a functional electrical stimulation system

,

was denied for benefit because it was not

on the formulary guidelines. She was advised on three occasions that that was not on the list. She did not have a doctor’s referral from the NWT. She went to Alberta and purchased this equipment for $4,500, which is under a pilot program. The Alberta government has not even decided that they’re going to use this.

If I would have given the Member that straight answer, it would have taken me a week. I said that was not enough, because I do appreciate that this lady spent $4,500 of her own money to buy equipment that she felt she needed. What I had asked and what I am trying to do — and I have communicated with the Member throughout the process — is that I’d like to know if she could be eligible for the amount that she would have received had she purchased something that was on the list and that was similar. We have very good programs, but we ask our people to follow the rules and to follow the guidelines. I do believe that the Member respects the rules as well.

Mr. Speaker, I do respect the rules, but I think it is a sad day when one of our residents has to travel to Alberta to see a neurologist to get a prescription for a WalkAide, when here in the Northwest Territories it is not on the list. It adds to the quality of life for this individual. That is evident. That’s why they had to go to Alberta. They had to get a prescription from this Alberta doctor, a neurologist in Edmonton, to get a WalkAide.

Again, the Minister speaks of these other aids that are possibly available under the list. Could the Minister tell me today what those other options are, Mr. Speaker?

Mr. Speaker, I understand there is a long list of available, approved and cost effective walk aids on the formulary. We also have doctors available in the NWT who would have been happy to see her. We forwarded her to the neurologist. I don’t have the background on why she had to go to Alberta. I would like to look at that.

I think the important point here, Mr. Speaker, is that we are wanting to help her. We are wanting to see how much of the cost we could cover for her, even though she did not see a doctor here — I know no

reason why — even though she purchased something that was not on the list, even though she was told in three separate meetings that that was not on the list, that this was not an approved item.

Mr. Speaker, I’m offering the Member again: if he can ask the constituent to call…. I have asked my department to review her file and see if we can help her out at all. I didn’t close the door on that. That’s why it took that little while to get back to the Member.

The Minister didn’t answer my question. What other walk aids are on the list that would be available to my constituent to help her in the condition she’s in? What are those other options?

I do not have all of the list available. I could get the Member that information. I am aware that there are a number of our NWT residents with MS who get assistance for devices that they need. I understand that this device she purchased is in a pilot program in Alberta. Until the pilot program is finished, we have not decided to put that on the list. It may be that it could get on the list. It appears that this is an experimental device.

Mr. Speaker, I’m sure that if the constituent would go in and talk to the officials, we could give her a whole…. I believe she was given the list of things that are available.