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

Mr. Speaker, I rise too in support of the motion. I have had the opportunity to travel throughout my communities of Nahendeh to speak to the seniors about this particular issue. As well, many seniors from Fort Simpson attended a constituency meeting. I was very happy to have them there.

As I went to explain the program and how it works I really found myself in the position where I couldn’t make a good explanation of it. There was no analysis in the documents given. There was no costing of the initiatives. How much does it cost to provide these supplementary health benefits? How much will they save if they remove it with the income testing program and the two-tiered program they had designed, and the costs for actually helping those that were identified in need and are unable to access our Supplementary Health Benefits at all?

As I discussed it with them it was apparent that there were two different issues here. One was that the supplementary health benefits were going to be removed from seniors that made, I think the Minister said roughly $66,000, in that area. I don’t think it’s actually working income either. I think it’s retirement income that is included into it. The seniors have made it very clear to me that they have worked hard for these benefits and they work hard in identifying communities they want to stay in. They make a conscious effort to stay in our North. It’s not something that they just do. It’s a conscious effort. It’s planned. They make arrangements to live in the North. Knowing that it costs slightly more, this is their home. That’s very, very important.

When they spoke about it they said, well, this is paramount like taxing us. That’s the way they view it. It’s an additional tax to the seniors to live in the

North. In fact, one of my constituents felt very strongly about it. He said. “We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to put up with it”. He goes further to say, “If you don’t like it, we’ll leave.” Pretty serious words. That’s nothing that we, as legislators, as MLAs, want to see happen. We want our people, especially our seniors, to continue the good work they do in their community. They’re volunteers. What income they have they’re spending in our communities and sharing their wisdom and knowledge with our communities.

Once again, no information, apparent lack of recent consultation, and there must be a better way of doing this. The Minister has deferred it, but the motion speaks about a little bit more examination and analysis of this whole area. I think that there are two different issues here. Supplementary health benefits is one and the other one is to find funding for citizens that cannot access any benefits now. In fact, I’m a firm believer that Supplementary health benefits should not be taken away at this point.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I, too, will be supporting the motion. The reason for my supporting the motion is that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of work done that gives comfort to the MLAs from the smaller communities that there are any benefits going from this change to the people in the smaller community ridings. However, there’s definitely a possibility that few of our seniors who were lucky enough to have held good jobs in their lifetime in these small communities will be adversely affected.

In addition, any loss of residents across the NWT would have an adverse effect on all residents of the NWT by dropping transfer payments and removing seniors with good incomes who make their purchases in the NWT. These seniors buy and operate their vehicles in the Northwest Territories. These seniors buy their food here, buy their clothing here, do their shopping here. They volunteer here; seniors that are homeowners and operate their homes through local purchases, never mind the transfer payments. Just the fact that their incomes will no longer be circulating in the economy of the Northwest Territories has an adverse effect on the people across the country.

Today in tough economic times the government should do all it can to try to retain all the people who have made a decision to retire up here and make homes here and made a decision to spend their money here. This program would have an adverse effect upon that. And what has an adverse effect on the NWT in general, usually the impact is

felt greatest in the smaller communities where the economy is poor already.

Because my feeling is that this change to the supplementary health benefits has a very negative impact on the communities, whether it’s individual or not, I feel the negative impacts are there. Therefore, I will be supporting this motion.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

The Minister has indicated the possibility of implementing this policy in September. I plead with the Minister to reconsider those dates as that leaves about eight months to implement this policy. Eight months of copied e-mails from the other Members to me in my office in terms of the questions that are out there for clarification by the seniors, concerns by different Members in the Northwest Territories in terms of some very technical and scientific economic formulas that have been used in terms of how do we implement this policy. I don‘t believe we can satisfy all these questions within this eight-month period. I think that this implementation date should be scrapped and the whole program should be looked at, reviewed, get scrapped, and see if it does make sense and they have some hard answers to questions that we are going to pose in regard to this whole program.

I do agree with the MLA from Mackenzie Delta that there are some fine issues we don’t need to bother getting into in terms of this whole thing about the medical health care plan, because there were certain agreements made from our grandfathers in terms of how do we take care of health under certain treaties with our people here.

The seniors in the Northwest Territories, we as Members here, and we’ll go right across the board, are the ones who need to speak up for them. That’s what we’re doing today. We’re protecting the need to heed their voice in this House on this issue. I didn’t realize the amount of concerns and issues that were out there until I started to see the e-mails in my office here and discussions that have happened. I thought we were doing something for the low-income support families. I thought we were going to help them. I didn’t realize the amount of concerns that seniors had about what we were doing. That caused me quite a concern.

I think, if anything, we should make some type of legislation for any seniors in the Northwest Territories. We should really be taking care of them as our first priority, number one. With fuel, with energy, with health, they should be given primary care in terms of how we run this government.

These seniors have walked a long life way before us. These seniors have guided us in some of our teachings as we grow up as to how life is going to be. Falling back on that, if these seniors and elders are the ones that are guiding us, shame on us for causing disruption to their well being, their emotions, their health, and for allowing this to happen.

I think we need to take a step back. I think that needs to be done. The timing is not right. The action is not right. I think we need to really think about how as a government, how as legislators we view our seniors, our elders. Really think about what that means. I had a discussion last night about how this government could be in a position to treat our seniors and elders in a certain way. How is it that we’ve come this far in our life that we can do this to our seniors or our elders? Where have we gone? The fact that the seniors are the fastest growing population in the Northwest Territories I think that’s the value of our elders. We place the values of the elders on our list of values in terms of how we treat seniors in the Legislative Assembly.

Our seniors live on a fixed income. I think by doing the proper thing, by having proper consultation, interpretation, I got a call from Tulita asking what this is all about. Can we get a plain language presentation as to what we are really doing with seniors? What are the impacts?

I plead to the Minister and the rest of the Cabinet to really think about this in terms of how we look at this overall. If it has any type of impact on the seniors we should really back down and support our seniors in the years that they have left with us is this world here. I think that’s something that should be considered in terms of this whole issue here. Maybe this whole issue here with the Supplementary Health Benefits Policy, I like to look at this issue here as having brought out some good in terms of how we view our elders and seniors in our government. This causes a lot of things to think about.

I will be supporting the motion to look at the bigger picture as to how we take care of elders and seniors in the Northwest Territories generally. What is our view of them? So they totally have my support from the people of the Sahtu.

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

Basically I’m the last guy to be standing up and supporting this motion, so a lot of good things have been said. Today I’ll be supporting the motion on supplementary health benefits. I support my elders and my people with

chronic conditions and disabilities throughout the Territory.

As Northerners we take care of our own, no matter where we’re from in this great Territory. I do agree to throw this program change out and start over. I did help Mr. Abernethy on his statement too.

---Laughter

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

I’d like to thank the Members for all the information and statements that they’ve presented today. I’d also like to thank many members of the public who have actively participated in expressing their views and concerns about how do we improve this program since it was announced in December.

As I have already stated in the House and outside, the changes to the Supplementary Health Benefits and the Catastrophic Drug Costs programs were designed because the Government of the Northwest Territories believed that nobody should be without access to supplementary health benefits because they can’t afford it. Under the current system that is happening, we do have a group of people who don’t get access to supplementary health benefits.

The government is committed to providing supplementary health benefits to eligible residents and families who do not have access to a plan. Conversely, we have to use our resources wisely and a government program should not be designed in a way that encourages people who can have third-party insurance to opt out of third-party insurance while at the same time not covering those people who do not have supplementary health benefits.

I believe the intent of the policy is reasonable and obviously provides comprehensive supplementary health benefits to those who cannot afford them, and protecting Northerners from catastrophic drug costs. Those who can afford to should contribute to the cost of benefits that supplement their health care.

The program details will be adjusted, and I have stated this on many occasions, to ensure that the program fulfils our intention and does not unfairly impact some of our residents. Also, the program redesign will ensure that the program is fair and equitable. The goal is to make sure that all residents in the NWT who need assistance will get it, particularly the low-income families, the seniors, and those with catastrophic costs of supplementary health care.

I have already stated on many occasions that we will work hard to bring together stakeholders in a public forum, as well as meeting with many NGOs and seniors’ societies who have expressed their views to us. I have already stated that we’ll do that in the form of two-way exchanges and workshops, because we understand, and I have learned, that there are lots of complex layers in dealing with supplementary health care plans.

I should also note that I have made it my practice as a Minister that I consult regularly with the Standing Committee on Social Programs on many issues. Not only that, I also make it a practice to invite Members who are not part of Standing Committee on Social Programs to have the benefit of the briefing or information that I’m providing and there’s no reason to think that I will not continue to do that. I intend to work very closely with the standing committee as we go through the public consultations process to deal with some of the shortfalls and many of the shortfalls that have been revealed since we announced that.

I’d like to thank the Members very much and the public for their input. I should also note lastly that as it is a convention for the Cabinet to not vote on a motion that is a recommendation, we will be abstaining from voting on the motion. But I would like to assure the Members that we take all of the views that were expressed today very, very seriously and we will consider them all.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Speaker, as Minister Lee has pointed out, the work that has been done, the principle and the intent of the program, the input of Members of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, as Minister Lee has pointed out, as convention we will be voting on that, but for the record as well, when the talk and when the e-mails went around on this issue and as the gaps were identified, I made a call to Mr. Abernethy and Ms. Bisaro about the program and what was needed, got some advice from them as to what…(inaudible)…or looking at delays, so seeing the work that’s been done, we look forward to working with Members, going back to the table, reviewing this, reworking the implementation so it does work for the majority of people in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

To the motion. Alright, I will allow the mover of the motion, Mr. Abernethy, to make closing comments.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll be quick. The northern voice opposing this motion and this program…I’m sorry, opposing the program

change is loud and it’s clear; not just here in this House, but in the streets and communities of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, the Minister and Cabinet must stop the implementation of this program as it is now. It must go back to the drawing board and design a program to help those low-income families, but not on the backs of the seniors and those experiencing chronic conditions. Mr. Speaker, I would like to request a recorded vote, please. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The Member is requesting a recorded vote, Mr. Clerk. All those in favour of the motion, please stand.

All those opposing, please stand. All those abstaining, please stand.

The results of the recorded vote: 11 for, none opposed, seven abstaining. The motion is carried.

---Carried

---Applause

Colleagues, before we go on to the next order of business, the Chair is going to call a short break.

---SHORT RECESS

I will call the House back to order. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS pursuant to subsection 61.(1) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, the Legislative Assembly chooses a Premier and recommends to the Commissioner the appointment of Members to the Executive Council;

AND WHEREAS pursuant to subsection 61.(2) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council

Act, the persons appointed hold office during the pleasure of the Legislative Assembly;

AND WHEREAS many events have transpired that have eroded the confidence of the general public and Members of this Assembly in the performance of the Premier and Executive Council;

AND WHEREAS this Assembly is only 16 months into a four-year mandate;

AND WHEREAS it is essential that this Assembly has a Premier and Executive Council that acts in the best interests of the electorate we collectively represent;

AND WHEREAS the role of Regular Members in consensus government must be respected and full participation should be encouraged and seen as beneficial to the constructive functioning of government in the best interests of all NWT residents;

AND WHEREAS a full Territorial Leadership Committee meeting would afford the Premier and Executive Council Members a free and secret vote to confirm confidence in Members of the Executive Council;

AND WHEREAS such a vote would allow the 16th Legislative Assembly the opportunity to re-establish confidence in the Premier and Executive Council;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that pursuant to Subsection 61.(2) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, this Assembly formally revokes the pleasure of the Assembly from the appointments of the Premier and all Members of the Executive Council effective Monday, February 9, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. MST;

AND FURTHER, that this Assembly recommends that a Premier and Executive Council be chosen without delay and that the Commissioner be notified of the recommended appointments at the earliest opportunity.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. There’s a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have brought this motion forward as the chair of the Priorities and Planning committee. I do support the motion and, Mr. Speaker, yesterday I spoke quite extensively in this Legislature about where I feel the 16th Assembly has got to this way

and it is today where the workings of this Assembly

seem to be dysfunctional and not in the best interest of the people of the Northwest Territories. There is a great long list of junctures and incidents and workings that could be recited here, but I gave quite a lengthy list of those yesterday. What I would prefer to do today is allow Regular Members and Cabinet Ministers to speak to this motion and at the appropriate time, I will conclude debate on the motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. To the seconder of the motion, Mr. Krutko.