This is page numbers 4365 - 4410 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 4th 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 chairman.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Mr. Speaker, I’ve got some questions today and suppose I’ll ask them of the Premier. In getting back to my Member’s statement, I wanted to talk about sole-sourcing contracts to former deputy ministers. I’d like to begin by asking the Premier if there is any political direction given from his Cabinet when it comes to sole-sourcing contracts to former deputy ministers. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Premier

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have a number of contracting methods as the Government of the Northwest Territories -- sole-sourcing is one of them, negotiated contracts, RFP, public tender -- and we use all of those in a range of accessing services, whether it was with past employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories. We don’t give a specific direction and each department has these ways of seeking whether it’s a sole-source or a tender process. But departments have that initiative that they can use. When they come forward to request exemption is when we would deal with it. Thank you.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

One of the things that I want to talk about is the process here today on how it’s possible that former deputy ministers get sole-source contracts with this government, and it goes back to the reply to a written question asked by my colleague, Mr. Bromley on a contract with BDK Applied Management Services for consultation and communication services provided to the Department of Finance. I’m just wondering, Mr. Speaker, if we want to talk about process, what process is followed that allows contracts to be sole-sourced to former deputy ministers. What process is this Cabinet and government following when it comes to handing out contracts like that? Thank you.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Mr. Speaker, the process for seeking or sole-sourcing, again, depending on the initiatives that are there and, again, all of the requirements to fit into either sole-source or negotiated contracts all have limits that would apply before there’s direct involvement from a deputy minister level or coming to the Cabinet or FMB table. So there are a number of processes that would be involved, whether it is specifically an initiative from a department and a Minister right on through the whole system. So we have processes in place and those are used as we seek to get the work done of government. Thank you.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, some of this work performed by BDK Applied Management Services for consultation and communications services is, in fact, for our participation in Vancouver at the 2010 Games. I’d like to ask the Premier -- we have known about our participation at Vancouver 2010 for a long period of time, and again, getting back to the process -- why didn’t this go to RFP or why didn’t it go to tender? Why was that sole-sourced, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Mr. Speaker, the work at the Olympics was one where it’s pan-territorial, so any initiative under that would have worked through the system of deputies that we had in place, and, again, involved the other territories. So I’ll get all the information on that.

By the way, just coming back from the NWT Day, it was a huge success, so our program delivered in Vancouver is getting the attention of the world as the Olympics goes on. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, know the work that’s been done down in Vancouver with Northern House and our participation there has been good. I’m not talking about that, Mr. Speaker, I’m talking about a process that’s allowed a former deputy minister to get a sole-source contract with this government. By the sounds of it, the Premier is saying that he’s got this working group of deputy ministers that review former deputy ministers. I think, Mr. Speaker, there’s something wrong with that. Will the Premier commit to having a look at the policy when it comes to sole-sourcing contracts to former deputy ministers and senior staff? Thank you.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Let’s be clear, though, the Olympics side of it, I don’t believe there’s a tie between what the Member has raised as a sole-source contract and the actual Olympic program that’s in place. For deputy ministers and senior staff of the Government of the Northwest Territories, past, that is, we can definitely sit down at some point and set some time up to go through the policies of this government. We’re using what’s been in place. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the prevailing issues that keep coming across my desk, whether I’m getting a phone call, a letter or an e-mail, Mr. Speaker, is medical travel. That, as well, seems to be fraught with challenges. I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what is she doing to lead some type of initiative that clears this up. Because medical travel seems to be a challenging issue and it appears, clearly, that it’s complicated as well. So what initiatives are being done to examine medical travel and make sure it’s clearly laid out for the public what they qualify for and don’t qualify for? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The rules are quite clear about what our residents are eligible for. If they are getting medical or doctor services, they get medical travel associated with that, and there are some extended health benefits

where they will be entitled to medical travel. So without more specific information, I’m not sure if I know what the Member is referring to. Thank you.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, the Minister I believe last week, in response to one of my questions, said medical travel is under review. I’m just wondering what is specifically “under review.” We’ve even got a letter that had been sent not that long ago to our offices that said it’s being reviewed. So what type of review process is medical travel under at this time, and is the Medical Travel Policy posted for all who wish to see it on either a website or some type of government access? Thank you.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Absolutely, there is detailed information on the Department of Health and Social Services’ website on the Medical Travel Policy and what the public needs to know about what it does. The same with the extended health benefits or any other programs and services that the department provides.

The review we are undertaking doesn’t have to do with who qualifies for medical travel or not because that part is clear. What we want to do is to make sure that our system is working the way it was meant to be, that everyone who is eligible for service get them in a way that is smooth, and that our practitioners are keeping in close touch with the files so that there’s seamless service delivery to our residents, that there is proper follow-up and checkup, and that when referrals are made that they are looked into. So we’re working to make sure that our system runs efficiently. Thank you.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

I’d like to know what type of appeal process is involved in medical travel. In other words, if you’re denied housing, there’s a housing appeal; if you’re denied some other type, maybe educational subsidy or income support subsidy, there’s an appeal process. What type of appeal process is involved with medical travel other than having to run it up the flagpole to the Minister’s office every single time?

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Under the current system there is no appeal process for medical travel. The way the system is set up is that the health insurance office looks at the policy, looks at the guidelines and they apply the policy accordingly.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m really glad to hear we have the policy office, because I suspect they never make a mistake so that’s why we have no appeal process. It’s sad to say that we don’t live in a perfect world, so I guess my question would be to the Minister, then, is what’s stopping us from setting up an appeal process if a person is denied medical travel so we don’t have to drag it to the Assembly floor time after time after time again and we can deal with it

probably in a peer review process, especially when a lot of things are denied when they have medical letters supported by doctors’ signatures that say that they need something done? Mr. Speaker, what’s stopping the Minister from setting up an appeal process? Thank you.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

I think we should be mindful of the fact that we serve about 40,000 people in the Territories and by and large the service delivery goes smoothly. I do appreciate that I get a number of files across my desk and the MLAs get them as well. But if you compare that, a few dozen a year to 40,000-plus people that we serve, and the satisfaction reports that we’ve been getting, I think the service is satisfactory that way.

Now, people are always not going to like being told that they can’t take medical travel for this and that, and it might not have anything to do with the fact of whether it’s right or not. It’s just the fact of being told you can’t do it. But according to the policy, in fact, they might not be eligible for that service because it’s not something that we cover under the program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just had a few more questions that I wanted to ask pertaining to former deputy ministers being hired by sole-source contract by this government. I’m just wondering if the Premier could let me know if there’s a cooling off period for former DMs and senior staff before they are sole-sourced by this government. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Premier

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, there is a cooling off period for DMs. I’ll have to check on the senior management file. Thank you.