This is page numbers 5457 - 5492 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was care.

Topics

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Yes, the Minister says $250,000, there was two years of funding, but the reality is the respite care program for $250,000 is only being funded for one year. I’d like to ask the Minister how she found out about the proposal to cut the $250,000 out of that program. Mr. Speaker, she talks about communication and coming back to the Standing Committee on Social Programs. I found out about this cut at my constituency meeting from a constituent. How did the Minister find out about it? Thank you.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

The Member is right that we just approved $250,000 under a supp appropriation for ’10-11, because that’s how we do our budgeting. We approve one year at a time. The budget for ‘11-12 has not been before this House. Now, because we have gotten money, on a time-limited basis for THSSI and we found, like I said before, we pay for doctors, nurse practitioners and everything else, all of the authorities are working together to see how we transition and we exit out of some of this funding. So that’s under discussion and that hasn’t been before this House, Mr. Speaker. The authorities are working together with the department on how we transition those. Thank you.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

The Minister didn’t answer the question I had. I mentioned in my previous question I found out about the funding cut at my constituency meeting. How did the Minister find out about it? Was it at her constituency meeting or did some of her staff actually tell her that this was in fact going to happen, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

As the Member knows, the authority communicated to YACL and said that this funding program was ending and they would like to work on a transition program and an exit strategy. They proposed to the association that we should work on doing an evaluation, which are all the things that the authority should be doing when a program is expiring. I have approached the association to see how we can work on this exit program and those kinds of discussions continue. The important point today is that we will continue to discuss with YACL on how we exit this Yellowknife program, because as a government we would like to work on one territorial respite care program and I will be coming forward with it to the standing committee on how we go about doing that. If we use THSSI money for ‘11-12, that’s an option. The important thing is everybody has made it clear to us that this is an important program not only for Yellowknife but for everywhere and if we make that decision, then that has to come through the main budgeting process and it’s a priority decision. That’s something I can only do with the support of the Members from the other side. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Time for question period has expired. I’ll allow the Member a final, short supplementary. Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The THSSI money that the Minister talks about, somebody somewhere made the decision to spend all that money on the Foundation for Change and, Mr. Speaker, I’ve spoken many times about the government’s inability to deal with the root causes that are plaguing the health care system in the Northwest Territories, the unfunded positions and the list goes on. I’d like to ask the Minister who made the decision to spend all the money on the Foundation for Change, because that discussion never took place with the Members of this House. That was a decision by somebody else, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

Thank you. The Member is once again mixing up the message, misinterpreting. Mr. Speaker, we’ve had detailed discussions, and the Members and standing committee know this. THSSI funding is a major initiative by the federal government. We’ve spent medical travel out of that, we pay for our doctors, we pay for specialists, we pay for midwives, we pay for dialysis, we pay for diagnostic imaging. Mr. Speaker, should I repeat that 10 more times? The Member will not hear this. We pay a lot of money on that. It’s wrong when he says that we don’t know how we are spending this money, you’re spending on brick walls, you’re spending on Foundation for Change. Mr. Speaker, he has a right to ask questions, but he has no right to misinterpret and spread myth out there, Mr. Speaker. He has to stop. That’s just not helping the public.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 8, written questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

MR. HAWKINS.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item number 7, oral questions, on the orders of the day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent denied

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Item 9, returns to written questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item number 7, oral questions, on the orders of the day.

---Unanimous consent denied

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Item 10, replies to opening address. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item number 7, oral questions, on the orders of the day. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent denied

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Item 11, petitions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to present a petition dealing with the matter of respite services in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, the petition contains 1,255 handwritten signatures and 552 electronic signatures. Of those, 1,756 signatories identified themselves as residents of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the petitioners request that the Government of the Northwest Territories commit permanent funding for respite services across the Northwest Territories before the cancellation of any existing services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled 2009-2010 Results Report, Grant and Contributions Programs; and Growing Forward, Report on Contributions 2009-2010. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Interim Report on the Public Accounts of the Government of the Northwest Territories for the Year Ended March 31, 2010. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Aurora College, 2009-2010 Annual Report. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table a document from the program coordinator at the Yellowknife Family Centre in support of the Yellowknife Association for Community Living’s existing respite program.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table a document, or I should say it’s actually a book. It’s Too Many Espresso Beans and it’s written by a constituent of mine, Brad Hall, and he is a young man who has autism and he’s written a book to show the courage and strength he’s had and abilities to deal with the autism. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins.