Thank you. Today in my Member’s statement I talked about the issue of organ transplant policy or, I should say, the lack thereof, and the difficulties some people have had following through in the process. That is pre-op care and certainly the medical travel process, as well as the follow-up from the post process, whether it’s about getting medication signed off, whether it’s getting the proper travel, about getting them back on time including loved ones. So, Mr. Speaker, I don’t necessarily blame the Minister in any way specific to this problem, but the Minister is well aware of this particular issue. So I’m asking the Minister of Health and Social Services, would she do a review of the lack of policy in this particular

case and see if we can set something up and perhaps maybe announce a direction by Organ Donor Week that is coming up in April? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government supports organ and tissue donations. We are involved with Canadian Blood Services, who is currently in the process of establishing a national registry so that it would help connect donors with people who need organ transplants.

The Member brought the matters that he is talking about today to my attention a few months back. There was a little bit of a hiccup there, but we did resolve that. The fact is, organ transplants are very rare in the Territories. Our residents do receive organ transplants, but a donator being from the NWT is very rare and I think that is one of the reasons why the process didn’t go as smoothly as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I don’t think there is a need for changes in any of the policies, because our Medical Policy is very generous and anybody who needs a service at a hospital or medical facility is entitled to coverage for their medical travel and associated costs. So that will be the case going forward. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as rare as compliments are from this side of the House, I should make sure it is very clear that the Minister was extremely helpful on this particular case straightening out. I think that needs to be acknowledged in this particular case. It can’t be forgotten. But the issue I am trying to raise, without trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill, is the fact that we don’t have a clear policy. Because when this particular family -- and I am aware of another family just starting in the process of the same type of issue -- is the lack of clarity on this. So we need a clear policy that says if you are either a donor or you require a transplant, it follows this particular process that everyone understands and is clear. That is what I am asking for, if the Minister would engage in that type of initiative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, anyone from the North who is interested in donating an organ, they will have to go through a very complicated medical procedure for any organ donation. That is definitely a medical and hospital care and so they are entitled to all of the coverage and medical travel that they would require. The benefits are there. Programs are there. I will make sure that staff know that that is an eligible service. The policy allows it. We just need to make sure that it is enforced. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister is referring to the Medical Travel Policy as the one-fit

solution to every problem, Mr. Speaker. In this particular case, their loved one who had to be their escort was denied. They had trouble getting down for the pre-op surgery in advance of the actual surgery. They had troubles being booted out of the hospital in Edmonton and being told that if they didn’t get back on a certain date, even though the hospital in Edmonton had said they had to stay for a follow-up, they were told that they were going to be cut off. Now, again, I don’t sort of saddle the Minister with this particular problem, but that is the issue that I am trying to raise. Would the Minister help work and develop an organ transplant policy specific to this issue? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the length of stay of a person who needs any medical procedure is determined by the providers and the physicians and health care professionals that oversee that. From time to time we have people who question how that is applied, but that is a normal part of our delivery system. We work to sort that out as they happen. My point is, anyone who is going to be donating an organ that requires, obviously they would require hospital and medical services, they will be covered. They will get the benefit of all services. Whether it be medical travel or any associated services, they will get that. I will make sure that our staff is aware that anyone else who is good enough to donate an organ, that they will get the assistance they need. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the spirit and the intent of what the Minister is saying, but, Mr. Speaker, the issue really came down to things like the doctor said that this particular person needed an escort. Medical travel denied it. It took the Minister’s intervention to say, wait a minute, this is wrong. Down in Edmonton, the hospital said this person had to stay due to a follow-up because of the tearing of tissue if they moved too much. Medical travel denied that too. That is why I am asking for a clear policy that lays out when even doctors say something is necessary, they follow through that. Would the Minister see that issue as for what I am trying to lay out and see if we can work out a clear policy that helps people through the system? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I think the Member is giving me too much credit. I don’t usually intervene and order anybody to approve an escort. I believe we have a program in place where it has a clear guideline as to who is eligible for medical travel and a medical escort. There are occasions, not just in organ donation procedures but in other medical procedures. There is sometimes lack of agreement on what is needed. That is just par for the course that we need to… That is part of health care’s delivery system that is

managed by human beings. There is a difference of opinion as to what constitutes a need for escort. But my point, Mr. Speaker, is that anybody who is going to donate an organ for transplant, that is a medical procedure and they will get all of the services that are available within our health care system. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regards to my Member’s statement in regards to the government programs and services, the implementation of the new programs PATH to CARE, HELP to STEP, it was put in place to hopefully improve the system that we had in place, but more importantly, to assist homeowners by taking advantage of these programs. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of Housing, has he seen an improvement in this program. Does he know exactly if there are faults in this program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, there are challenges to some of the programs that we deliver. We are working to take steps to address some of the challenges, with the gap being one of the biggest ones, and hearing from Members across the floor is one that they have all identified. We have seen breaking it down in four programs has helped overall. We are spending a large amount of money on the HELP program, which is trying to get people into homeownership through a supportive lease-type program. We have about 228 of those units out there. There have been some improvements to the delivery of the programs but, as the Member pointed out, there are obviously some challenges and we are looking to try and address those. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I think the programs that we have, if they were implemented properly, we would be able to assist more people, especially with the Reduction of the Cost of Living. I think if we can find ways to assist people to do retrofits to their homes, improve their heating system, improve their electrical system, bringing their homes up to code, making them safe, that is the type of stuff I think this government should be supporting. I would like to ask the Minister, is there an appeals process for individuals who may not like the result of having their application refused, considered through a different method, instead of having to come to the

MLA or go to the Minister. Is that something that is contemplated in this program?

Mr. Speaker, a formal appeals process doesn’t exist at the moment. They would be able to appeal to the program advisor or to the district director. In my office, we have had cases of people bringing their issues and their concerns forward. We have tried to address some of these. We usually follow up with questions to the district office. As far as an official appeal process, there is not one in place right now. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest complaints you hear from people, on the application process, is the fairness of the program. They see people getting the program year after year, but they continue to apply year after year and get refused. It all comes down to how the program is being administered and the fairness of the program. In regard to that I’d like to ask the Minister exactly what the process is to ensure there is transparency and fairness in this program so the people who do apply are seeing results rather than applying year after year and seeing other people taking advantage of the program and not being able to be approved because they get frustrated from filling out applications. I’d like to ask the Minister, with regard to transparency and fairness, what the department is doing to look at those types of situations.

We’re always reviewing how our programs operate and getting feedback from clients out there, and Members, as part of that process. Of course, we’d like to have an application process that’s as transparent as possible, because there are a lot of people out there stating exactly what the Member has said. They have concerns in that they apply and apply. And we hear about it, and obviously Members across the floor hear about it. We just want to assure people out there that we do want to be as transparent as possible. If they have issues with their application process, we’re always willing to listen. Upon hearing this, if we can use these to improve the delivery of our programs, I think that would be very beneficial to us as Members of the Assembly and to the people out there who are delivering the programs.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With that, I am also hearing from the Minister that he realized that there has to be a mechanism in place to assess programs and services annually or every so often, to see what’s working and what’s not working. I’d just like to ask the Minister if there is going to be some sort of assessment process or assessment of the programs to see how it’s working, and if something is not working, what we can do to change it to improve the programs so that we can improve on what we have. Will he consider

looking at assessing the program and try to find ways to improve this program?

We usually try to do an assessment of the programs fairly regularly and see what’s working and what can be improved. I can commit to the Member that I will have discussions with the officials and see when the next review of the program is, and I’ll advise Members of that and seek input.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement earlier, on a poverty eradication plan. I appreciate the Premier’s remarks earlier, in efforts to take the next steps there. Recognizing that there is overlap, once again, between ECE and the Department of Health and Social Services, I’d like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment some questions, really, on the opportunities we’ve got and what we’re doing to coordinate the approach to fighting poverty.

The first question I’m wondering about is what is assessed during a client’s interview for income assistance applicants. Does the process not only look at the financial eligibility of the applicants but does it also look at the context of need? For example, their educational history and opportunities for upgrading, personal and psychological support services, if there are mental health issues and other health issues and needs.

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