Mr. Speaker, not to belabour the supplementary health benefits issue, I need to bring emphasis one more time to a certain segment of our population that will be negatively impacted to a change to supplementary health benefits if those income thresholds and caps are left in place.
I know the Minister has agreed to take the supplementary health benefits review back to the drawing board and not to implement anything until after extensive consultation has taken place and the stakeholders’ concerns have been taken into account, and none of that is going to happen before April 1st , 2010. I do thank the Minister for that. I do
again thank the seniors of the Northwest Territories who mobilized in such an effective way to address this concern. It was amazing. It really confirms the saying of grey power. They were amazing with their petitions and their very thoughtful and insightful questions.
Mr. Speaker, there is another group of people in our society that were potentially going to be negatively impacted by this Supplementary Health Benefits Program change. I want to just, by my Member’s statement today, bring emphasis to that group. That is the group of persons with disabilities. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the constituents in Hay River who have contacted me with disabilities, I just again want to make sure that any consultation, we’ll make sure you contact the NWT Council for Persons with Disabilities. Many disabilities that are health-related require specialized equipment, medication, things that can be very expensive. It may not strictly fall under the chronic condition, but it is persons with disabilities. Today, Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to emphasize that this sector who has not received perhaps as much attention as the impact on seniors, that we keep this group in mind as well and that the consultation expands and take into account their concerns.
I have a constituent in Hay River with a disability whose household income does exceed $50,000 a year, but, trust me, they would never be able to survive with their needs for medication and equipment if that service, if those benefits were removed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.