I will now provide rulings on the points of order raised in the House on May 12th . All of the points of order dealt

with unparliamentary language. In dealing with unparliamentary language, the Speaker takes into account the tone, manner and intention of the Member speaking; the person to whom the words were directed; the degree of provocation; and, most importantly, whether or not the remarks created disorder in the Chamber.

The point of order raised by Ms. Lee objected to the use of the word “doublespeak” by the Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy. Ms. Lee felt that the use of this word suggested she had lied to the House. Mr. Abernethy gave a different definition, suggesting that the Minister had been ambiguous and evasive. I accept Mr. Abernethy’s word on this and find that there is no point of order.

The points of order raised by the Government House Leader referred to Mr. Ramsay’s Member’s statement of May 10th . Mr. Miltenberger argued that

the words “arrogant” and “ignorant” were abusive and insulting to Ms. Lee. The use of such language pushes the limits of decorum in our consensus system. However, they have been used in the recent past by other Members in this House without objection. I find that there is no point of order.

The second point of order raised by Mr. Miltenberger referred to Mr. Ramsay’s statement about dividing people along racial lines. Mr. Miltenberger stated that this imputed false or hidden motives to another Member. I can’t say for sure whether Mr. Ramsay meant that the government was intending to divide people on racial lines or that this was the result of the government’s proposed policy. Either way, I think the matter is serious enough that the remarks should be withdrawn. I find that Mr. Miltenberger has a point of order. I will ask Mr. Ramsay to withdraw these remarks and apologize to the House. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do respect your ruling. I do withdraw those remarks. It was basically my interpretation of the government’s policy which led me to make the remarks that I made and I respect your ruling. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Thank you for that. With that, I think that resolves the matter. Again, colleagues, the debate we are having in this House is important and serious. There are lots of real issues to focus on and there is no need to use disruptive language and name calling to make the good points on both sides of the debate. I encourage all Members to tone down their language and treat one another with respect.

Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In October 2009, I announced that the implementation of 20/20: A Brilliant North, NWT Public Service Strategic Plan was well underway. I made a commitment to provide an update to this House on the progress that was made during the first year.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to fulfill that commitment to the Members by tabling the formal action plan and results report later today. The report captures all the accomplishments that were achieved during the first year of our strategic plan. I would also like to share the highlights with Members now, Mr. Speaker.

In order to create a diverse and inclusive workplace, representative of the Northwest Territories’ population, the Department of Human Resources focused on several initiatives. The department created a Government of the Northwest Territories Advisory Committee on Employability and an Aboriginal Employees’ Advisory Committee.

An Associate Director/Superintendent Program aimed at increasing the number of aboriginal employees in senior management positions was

created and will be piloted this fiscal year. This pilot program provides individuals with hands-on public service senior management experience to complement their current education and work experience. If successful, this model will be used as a succession planning tool for employees.

The department developed an aboriginal culture and diversity awareness framework. An aboriginal recruitment and retention specialist position was created to focus on the retention and recruitment of aboriginal employees.

With the aim to improving the delivery of human resource services, the Department of Human Resources created a transition team which is focusing on streamlining human resource processes.

To further assist the government with recruiting, the department rolled out e-Recruit and created recruitment strategies for our hard to recruit occupations. The department is also in the process of developing a marketing strategy emphasizing the strengths, benefits and opportunities of the public service.

The department also launched a Managers’ Tool Kit and Labour Relations Training that was provided in every region in order to assist managers and supervisors in the management of the public service.

To strengthen our relations with the unions, quarterly meetings with both the Union of Northern Workers and the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association were established. In addition, monthly case management meetings are held with the Union of Northern Workers to address the current backlog of grievances awaiting arbitration.

Initiatives that focus on the future through excellence and planning and management for the public service include the development and piloting of a departmental human resource planning framework, which have an affirmative action component. These plans will eventually become a part of the business planning process.

Mr. Speaker, the department is developing a competency-based performance management process to demonstrate a commitment to the learning and development of our public service employees.

Finally, the Department of Human Resources is also in the process of identifying common priorities so this government may partner with community and aboriginal governments to improve human resource management at all levels of government in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I want to announce that updates regarding this strategic plan are only ever a click away. A 20/20: A Brilliant North website, that contains information on the plan, shows our

accomplishments to date and gives the opportunity for individuals to provide feedback, was launched and can be found on the Department of Human Resources website.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Government Operations for their ongoing support and guidance as we move forward implementing 20/20: A Brilliant North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to update the House on our work in family law reform. This supports our government’s priority of Building our Future by investing in effective and accessible programs that help families in transition move forward in a positive way.

As Members know, the Department of Justice now offers a mediation service and a course on parenting after separation and divorce. Both these courses are free to participants. They are designed to help parents resolve issues that arise because of a divorce or separation. They also help them continue to be effective parents in changing circumstances. The services are fast and accessible.

The expanded mediation program started in March 2009 and has been very successful. Five mediators offer their services throughout the Northwest Territories, in person or by teleconference. The mediators help people reach their own agreement and give them tools to help resolve future disputes on their own. It is faster than going to court and frees up resources and energy to spend time on more important things, like the kids. To date, Mr. Speaker, they have helped over 50 separating couples reach agreements without going to court. For a government investment of about $80,000, that’s a pretty good return, Mr. Speaker.

The Parenting after Separation and Divorce Program is a half-day course that helps parents make the transition to parenting their children in a new setting: parenting together but apart. It has been offered 15 times since June 2009. Effective April 1st , the Supreme Court of the Northwest

Territories made the program mandatory in most cases for Yellowknife residents who are bringing court applications for custody and access. This is a one-year pilot project undertaken by the Supreme Court. Upon completion of the course, parents receive a certificate which they must file with the court as proof of completion. This model has worked very well in other parts of the country. It helps to keep both parents’ focus on doing what’s

best for their kids. I’m looking forward to seeing the results of the pilot project.

Mr. Speaker, one of the challenges we faced with the Parenting after Separation and Divorce Program was how to deliver it to the people throughout the Northwest Territories. The demand outside of Yellowknife is quite small and the costs of delivery are high. Yet, we wanted to ensure that it was accessible to all residents. I am pleased to tell you that, in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Services, we are able to deliver this course simultaneously in Yellowknife and other communities using the Telehealth infrastructure.

We are fortunate to have a talented group of court workers who can help our residents through the legal system. Court workers are part of the community and they are well positioned to provide information about our legal system. That includes information about family law and child protection. We are now offering annual training sessions to our court workers. We want to make sure that they stay current and have the knowledge and confidence they need to help residents all over the NWT access justice services.

Mr. Speaker, we have accomplished a great deal, but we still have more to do. Ultimately, we want to create a justice system that is responsive and accessible to all Northerners. Some of our current projects are to investigate and assess a workable model for a children’s lawyer to give children a voice in proceedings where they need to be heard, an expanded alternative dispute resolution service to give people more choices.

Mr. Speaker, I will continue to update this Assembly on the progress of this work. We will look to your continued advice and support. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Robert C. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to provide my colleagues with an update on implementation activities related to the Public Service Capacity Initiative.

This initiative includes a series of programs, all intended to strengthen and support the capacity of local government administrators as well as the leadership and governance capacity of mayors, chiefs and councillors so that they can provide effective direction and support to their staff.

Municipal and Community Affairs is leading the work on this initiative in full partnership with the Department of Human Resources, as well as the Northwest Territories Association of Communities and the Local Government Administrators of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the largest program under the initiative is the Advancing Local Government Administrators Program, and I am pleased to announce that this program will be formally launched at the upcoming Northwest Territories Association of Communities Annual General Meeting being held May 13 to 16 in Hay River.

With the Advancing Local Government Administrators Program, community governments can apply for up to two years of funding to support either a trainee or mentor for their senior administrator position, depending on the current needs of the local government. Using funding available in 2009-2010, seven community governments are piloting this program already.

Retention and recruitment of the local government administrator position is critical to the long-term health and success of community governments and the Advancing Local Government Administrators Program is designed to ensure that community governments have ongoing support, tools and resources to assist with attracting and maintaining staff in this key position.

Mr. Speaker, another initiative that was started in 2009-2010 is the Good Governance training for elected leaders. This program was successfully piloted last year by the School of Community Government, and a total of 29 Good Governance workshops were hosted in 26 communities with 425 community government personnel in attendance. The Good Governance training is now offered to every newly elected council on an ongoing basis so that councillors can obtain a common knowledge base around roles and responsibilities, especially in relationship to their local government administrator. This year’s NWTAC AGM is featuring a full day of training and information related to Good Governance.

Professional development workshops are also being held to build the skills and expertise of administrators. The first professional development workshop was held in 2009 to coincide with the Local Government Administrators of the Northwest Territories Annual General Meeting. Future AGMS of LGANT will continue to feature a professional development component for local government administrators, all with the general theme of recruitment and retention challenges in local governments.

Mr. Speaker, a wide variety of promotional materials have been developed, including brochures and information on LGANT’s website; a video featuring council-administrator engagement is planned for 2010-2010. A marketing strategy has also been developed to assist with recruitment and retention initiatives at the local government level. A common look and feel is featured in all the promotional materials related to the Public Service Capacity Initiative and I encourage all my

colleagues to view the new website at

www.33strong.com

that is being launched at this

year’s NWTAC AGM. The promotional material is targeted primarily to Northerners, to encourage them to consider the interesting and challenging work opportunities available in local government in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, while there has been a significant amount of work done to date on the Public Service Capacity Initiative, there is still more work to do. I look forward to providing you with information on the Public Service Capacity Initiative as this program progress. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Deputy Premier, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Floyd Roland will be absent from the House today and tomorrow to attend the Northern Premiers’ Conference in Whitehorse. Thank you.

Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With the expansion of the Nahanni National Park Reserve, I have been advised that there are 18 employment opportunities opening up in the Parks Canada office in Fort Simpson in the near future. I am very happy about this news as it is the opportunity for 15 people in Fort Simpson and three seasonal positions in Nahanni Butte.

We are so very fortunate to have this national park and world heritage site so close by. With its caves, hot springs, wetlands, its grizzly bears, Dall sheep and so much more wildlife, it is truly spectacular. The Nahanni River races over Virginia Falls, the height of which eclipses Niagara Falls, and it rushes through canyons about 1,000 metres deep.

These new positions will be of great significance to the region. Six of the positions have been posted already and I understand that the competitions are closed. I encourage young people and all residents to keep a lookout for job advertisements and apply for suitable positions as they are advertised. I think that there will be a number of jobs that Fort Simpson residents will be qualified for.

This is a wonderful opportunity for young people and adults to consider a career in the national park system. There will be guidance given for those who

want to seek employment if they are not yet qualified. The parks office in Fort Simpson is there for the long run, Mr. Speaker, and do want to encourage long-term employment for our local people and local residents.

There are also business opportunities, with $5 million of capital expenditures in the Nahendeh region. In addition, they are negotiating impact benefits which will add to the current opportunities in the region. Overall, I do want to say that with an expanded Nahanni National Park Reserve, we can benefit in our communities and in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to talk today about the ever becoming more famous Supplementary Health Benefits Policy of this government. Mr. Speaker, we have to start at the beginning and say, why change the policy? Some are saying because it was a decision of a previous government the policy was changed. Now we are just on the implementation end of that so we have to proceed with it. That is what they told us about the Deh Cho Bridge too. It wasn’t a very good reason.

Mr. Speaker, I think we need to look at this very carefully and very critically. What this debate on the supplementary health benefits has done inadvertently and unfortunately is made it look like in order to help people in a certain income bracket who are not beneficiaries of other health insurance that in order to help them, we needed to reduce the services to another group of people and we all know that, being the seniors of the Northwest Territories. This is the picture that emerges, that we want to take away from this group to give to this group. Mr. Speaker, that is pitting people against each other and that is not a good premise for how we are doing this.

Unfortunately, that is just the tip of what this policy would actually do. If this policy, if implemented the way it is laid out right now, proceeds as it is, in fact, there are going to be people who will opt out of third-party insurance in order to participate in this government. I know the government means well by expanding it. By expanding it, though, they are giving people the opportunity of not participating in employer health insurance programs and different things where they do pay premiums and to get this from the government at no cost. What is the cost? Who has to add up the cost? Who has quantified what the cost of that is? We can’t afford mistakes.

As long as we get a great idea, we see a mosquito on the window and we take a sledge hammer to kill it. I am sorry. We have seen this happen with board reform. Oh, we are going from 70 to seven. What it does is it takes what is in it, the essence of some very good ideas, and just blows it out of the water because we try to capture and bundle too many things within one policy.

Mr. Speaker, I know I don’t have a lot more time left, but I just want to caution the government, I beg the government, I beseech them to please look at all the ramifications of this, not to look at this in a superficial manner, please, because we cannot afford to spend millions of dollars unnecessarily, not with the kinds of challenges and demands that we have on our health care system today. Thank you.

The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I spoke in the House about housing programs to seniors in Tu Nedhe and the Minister mentioned that the corporation was doing early delivery for 2011-12 in August and September of 2010, which is good for 2010-11.

Today I would like to speak about the delivery materials and labour for housing projects this summer, not 2011-12. Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that the NWT Housing Corporation address serious housing concerns in Tu Nedhe this summer. The corporation must get materials on the barge into Lutselk’e this summer or there will be no other options available to those people.

Mr. Speaker, if the barge is missed, the people will have to wait another full year, at least another full year before any of their houses get repaired. Of all the houses that need repairs, I am hearing that they cannot obtain much needed support from the Housing Corporation because of the various different situations. Mr. Speaker, such situations range from not having a band council resolution in place, or that the individual clients have credit issues, or that they have outstanding rent, or outstanding land related arrears. Mr. Speaker, all of these issues can be overcome. If the corporation waits for all the t’s to be crossed and all the i’s to be dotted, residents of Tu Nedhe could miss another construction season and all of that repair money that was approved by the House will go somewhere else.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT Housing Corporation will spend $200,000 to $250,000 to build a house when they don’t actually have a social housing client in place. Often these units are used outside of the social housing portfolio. This means that the social

housing dollars earmarked for that community will go to people that are not in core need. This means instead of decreasing core need, it will continue to increase. Because of this, Mr. Speaker, the Minister must ensure that social housing dollars are spent to address social housing core need issues in the communities. If that does not happen, the people in the community will continue to live in inadequate housing.

Mr. Beaulieu, your time for Member’s statement is up.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Sometimes “inadequate” does not accurately describe the condition of some of these homes I speak of. The majority of these homes are owned by seniors and they are close to being in a dilapidated state. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to speak about the direction the Minister of Health and Cabinet has taken on the supplementary health benefits.

I’d like to begin by saying that the hypocrisy in this building sometimes is really something to behold. On Tuesday, May 10th , I stated the Health Minister

was being arrogant and ignorant in her handling of the supplementary health issue.

Hansard is a very valuable tool, Mr. Speaker. Back on October 21st , 2005, Ms. Lee herself can be

quoted as saying, “I urge this government to start acting like a responsive and responsible government, not an arrogant dictatorship of majority.” Mr. Speaker, back on October 26

th, 2001,

Ms. Lee was called on a point of order referring to a special committee report as a palace coup. In her speaking to the point of order, and I quote, “I have discussed this with my constituents and the words actually come from my constituents.”

Mr. Speaker, is this not how the system works? We listen to our constituents and the public. We are the voice of the people of the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, and I’d like to remind Minister Lee of that. Her handling of the proposed changes to supplementary health benefits has, and continues to be, abysmal and embarrassing. Certainly the government must be listening to the valid and genuine concerns put forth by many of the Regular Members on this issue. Why is it that no one on that side of the House seems to be hearing us? Why is

it that Cabinet is intent on silencing the public outcry on this issue?

Mr. Speaker, it will be a very sad day in the history of our Territory should Minister Lee and the government proceed with the changes to supplementary health benefits. My belief is they don’t know how devastating these changes will be in some of our residents’ lives, especially during the greatest time of need. If escalating health care costs are as big of a concern as we all know they are, why on earth would we put forth changes that will undoubtedly cost us more as people continue to dump third-party coverage? The plan is asinine and needs to be reworked.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, as if the plan itself is not bad enough, the administration and subsequent costs to government will certainly be more than our government could bear. Thank you.

The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently, on my last visit to Ulukhaktok, various leaders, elders and representatives expressed concerns on medical travel that is being coordinated. Some of the leadership said the medical travel patients are constantly being bumped off Aklak Air from Ulukhaktok to Inuvik and vice versa. There are only two seats reserved on Aklak’s flights into the community, therefore, patients travelling to see a specialist or a doctor most likely get bumped.

This has been an ongoing issue since the route was changed from Yellowknife to Inuvik. There are countless patients that go through the situation day after day. For the patients travelling to see a specialist, when they are bumped they have to wait the extra time to see a specialist that goes into Inuvik, which could be months, Mr. Speaker.

For the last three or four years the Hamlet of Ulukhaktok has brought this up to the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, asking for bigger planes. Some of the elders refuse to fly on Aklak because the planes are so small and they do not have a washroom onboard the aircraft. People in Ulukhaktok would like to see the route changed, if they can, from Inuvik to Yellowknife. It’s the same price and there are more specialists in Yellowknife here.

When you live in the small, isolated communities such as Ulukhaktok, air travel is a lifeline. All year round there is no road or community for assistance. These people are dealing with serious medical conditions and when they can’t make the appointments, they have to wait for the next round

of visits. There are only, like I said, two seats saved for medical travel for patients. Even the constituents who receive medical treatment in Edmonton, the medical administrator still sends them through Inuvik. That would mean longer travel time and a lot longer to get home to family, bumped off due to Aklak’s small aircraft. In addition, the assistance that they receive in the Inuvik Regional Hospital can be administered out of Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker.

Flying through Yellowknife straight to Ulukhaktok would save all parties physically and financially, while avoiding long, unaffordable wait times in the transient centre, especially over a weekend.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Flying from Yellowknife straight to Ulukhaktok would save all parties physically and financially.

Over the years I’ve raised many concerns regarding the GNWT’s Medical Travel Policy and how this could be more suitable for small and remote communities. Over the years the Minister has found many excuses to defend the current policies. Will this government and the Department of Health listen to what the people of the Nunakput community of Ulukhaktok are asking for and implement their recommendations and concerns regarding medical travel, administrative procedures and policies?

As our community’s population ages, the current practice will increasingly be inadequate. Our elders and patients deserve more from this government, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, rise today to speak about the supplementary health benefits. I want to talk specifically about the people that are demanding that we stop moving forward with this plan as it is currently outlined by the Minister of Health and Social Services.

On Tuesday there was a rally outside of this building where well over 100 people attended. There were young, there were old, there were healthy, there were sick, there was aboriginal and there were non-aboriginal, all calling for us to stop these changes to the supplementary health benefits.

I’ve also seen over the last couple of months a large number of e-mails, that I’ve been copied on, that went to the Minister of Health and Social Services as well as the Premier, demanding that we re-think what we’re doing and that we consider options and alternatives before we move forward with the plan that had been presented by the Minister. I’ve also been copied on a large number of letters to the Minister of Health that say the same exact thing. I have today two petitions that I’m going to table -- or present, rather -- one from the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society with 1,944 signatures. I’ve got one from the Union of Northern Workers with 495 signatures. It’s a significant amount of people who are opposed to what the Minister is planning.

Earlier last week in Elders Parliament a motion was put forward and the motion says: Whereas there is a proposal to implement a new Supplementary Health Benefits Program in September 2010;

And whereas the principle of universality should guide the delivery of the Northwest Territories health care system, enabling all citizens of the Northwest Territories to receive quality health care, including supplementary health benefits, on a fair and equitable basis;

And whereas the proposal rightly extends supplementary health benefits to the working poor and others who currently do not receive them;

And whereas the existing supplementary health benefits for senior citizens have served the purpose of caring for seniors and encouraging seniors to continue to live in the Northwest Territories during their retirement years;

And whereas the consequences of the proposed changes to supplementary health benefits for seniors are not clear and well defined;

And whereas the cost of existing benefits for seniors is modest;

Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that the Elders Parliament recommends that the existing supplementary health benefits coverage for seniors be continued;

And further, that the issue of changes to seniors’ supplementary health benefits requires further consultation, study and revision before the future implementation.

Mr. Speaker, this was approved unanimously by all Members of the Elders Parliament, Members from all over the Northwest Territories.

The proposed changes are bad for the non-aboriginal seniors, but what’s worse is that it’s devastating for people with severe, catastrophic conditions who currently have…

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

I want to ask today that the Minister actually listens to these people and truly hears what they have to say. Don’t implement your proposed plan. Let’s take it back and consider options that will truly work for all and not break our budget with the solutions that exist. The Minister needs to be open to options and desire of her constituents and our constituents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I expressed my concerns about the implementation of the Supplementary Health Benefit Policy and suggested that it will create a new class of working poor: the medically bankrupted. It’s eminently clear that Cabinet must be provided with a few real life examples of the effect this policy will have on our residents in order for them to understand the magnitude of the problems that this policy will cause.

So the first example: An MLA who, of course, has third-party insurance, similar to all GNWT employees, and who needs a drug to treat a specific condition. The third-party insurance will cover 80 percent of the cost of that drug but the remaining 20 percent is totally the responsibility of the individual. In my case, that’s about $8 a month. Certainly an amount I can bear, and I do do that. Contrast that to the situation described by Mr. Abernethy yesterday: a third-generation Northerner who will be required to bear the cost of some $2,000 per month. Who among us in this room could afford to spend $2,000 a month on medical necessities? Not me.

A second example: A family of four living in my riding, mother, father, two children, one of whom is severely disabled. The father has third-party insurance through his employer, which again will cover about 80 percent of the young son’s medical needs; special equipment, mobility aides, special food, drugs, the list is long. The cost of those medical needs can be as high as, for this one child alone, $25,000 a year. Is it realistic to expect this single-income family to pay the $400 or more just for their one child’s needs? I don’t think so.

These are extreme cases, Mr. Speaker, and Members may dismiss them as invalid or unrealistic. I wish that were true, but it is not. These examples are real and they point to the effect this new Supplementary Health Benefit Policy implementation will have on our residents. The

problem presented to us is that government must find a way to provide supplementary health benefits to those not currently covered and to find a way to cover that cost. So let’s find a solution to that problem, not create another problem with our solution. There are other ways to generate the required revenue without the drastic results that this proposed method will produce.

The Minister tells us she and Cabinet have looked at all the possibilities and rejected them all except the proposed system.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

The Minister says she has rejected all the possibilities except the one before us. She’s saying trust us, our analysis is perfect. Well, I can’t accept that. If an analysis of all the options has been done, where are the results of that work? Why has it not been presented to Regular Members so we can evaluate the decision for ourselves?

I have to ask again today the question I posed yesterday: how will this government help residents who face huge financial burdens due to medical conditions costs? Where is the safety net that the Minister keeps referring to for these medically bankrupted residents? I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Thank you.

The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health says the intent of her supplementary health proposals is to address the issue of affordability. In fact, the reverse is true. Look at the $50,000 threshold. Remember, this is the net income threshold and not the after-tax income. After taxes, a $50,000 net income shrinks to $40,000 or $42,000. Someone buying their own drugs for catastrophic issues could easily spend the 25 percent required, or $12,500. That means their real income after taxes and drugs would plummet to under $35,000. This is before any basic needs are covered. That’s not just working poor, it’s working sick and poor. It’s brutal and it’s wrong. And remember the net income figure used will be the previous year’s income; that is the last good income you had before you got sick and your income went through the floor. So the principle here is to use a person’s past healthy income to help them when they and their earnings are sick. Again, totally silly and cruel.

We still don’t know what administration of this program is going to cost. But as one senior in my riding knows, even under today’s simple system, you spend days of effort and months of time working and waiting to get paid back. How many people already on borderline incomes will be on the bigger and better waiting list this program will create? Does the Minister have time to fix these cases one by one as she has to do repeatedly for my constituent?

So how will people be able to afford to protect their health? When people get sick because they can’t afford their medicine, they can go to the hospital at a system cost of thousands of dollars a day and receive their drugs for free. Obviously, under the Minister’s scheme, many people will drop third-party insurance and go completely on the public purse.

Third-party insurance is a gift that can take our costs away. We should be requiring it and designing a program to top up these costs, not pass them off on the sick. We should be working hard with our fellow jurisdictions to reduce drug costs, by far the biggest supplementary health cost, through joint action.

Mr. Speaker, the roar of public protest that has greeted these proposals should tell us something. It says that when government sets its priorities for spending their taxes, health care should be at the top of the list.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Health care should be on the top of that list. Many have said they would even pay more tax to ensure coverage of everyone and to avoid co-payments when they are sick, elderly, and less able to pay. Let’s listen to what our employers and the taxpayers say and make fair health care for all priority number one. The public response has been clear, expressed eloquently through public submissions and beautifully captured by the Elders Parliament resolutions supporting supplementary health benefits for everyone.

Mr. Speaker, much of supplementary so-called health care is, in reality, basic health care. I am asking: could this government, if it had the will, find a way to provide fair and basic health benefits and services to all citizens of the NWT regardless of race or culture? Mr. Speaker, let’s keep our people here in the North. Mahsi.

The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to say a few words on the supplementary health benefits. Again, I come back to the principle of the 2,300 people that do not have coverage as we speak today and sit here today. These working-poor families, people who can’t afford to have coverage, are my main focus of this discussion here.

As we sit each day, each day these families do not receive coverage. That’s why I’d like this policy to see if there’s room there to continue moving with it. I understand, in terms of the benefits, that we’re going to be affected by some of the people in the Northwest Territories. We heard them outside the Legislative Assembly. We have seen them in the newspapers. I’d like to see at least one of the 2,300 people that are not affected come to this House here and sit here. They can fly down from the smaller communities or outside communities and sit here and talk to us face to face and say what it is like for them not to have this coverage, Mr. Speaker.

The principle of this is that we are doing this to see what is a benefit to all the people of the Northwest Territories. I would also like to know about the impacts of this if we are to delay or defer or scrap it.

We are looking for health care in Colville Lake. We have been crying for health services in Colville Lake for a nurse. How is it today that a young girl has to wait a day to get medical service out of Colville Lake with a broken leg in this 21st Century?

We cannot have that. That is what I am fighting for, for basic health service that we have in this city here that is taken for granted. They can go to the health clinic. They can go to a consolidated clinic. We can’t even get a nurse in Colville Lake. People have to fight, yet we are having this discussion.

We should be talking about first things first, the basic principle of health care in our small communities. That is what I am going to stand on principle grounds for of this supplemental health benefit. If that is going to take away from services in my community, I’ll be damned if I am going to let this thing go. I am going to fight for the poor people. I will fight for the families. I will fight for my region.

The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to reflect on the tumultuous life of the 16th Assembly. Cabinet, Regular Members and the

public have had fierce debate on issues such as board reform, the Deh Cho Bridge and certainly the supplementary health benefits.

Our first budget sent the public service reeling with the threat of layoffs and cutbacks that seemed to come out of nowhere. Earlier this week, the YK Seniors, in collaboration with the Union of Northern Workers as well as many other concerned citizens, staged yet another protest, an excellent protest against changes to the supplementary health benefits.

Mr. Speaker, these major issues, as I have noted, can be all traced back to significant policy decisions made by the former Cabinet during the last election period. That points to a glaring need to improve public accountability. Let’s be clear. Changes to the supplementary health benefits are not the invention of the 16th Assembly; they are a result of policy

changes began in the 15h Assembly. They were moved forward by that Cabinet while they are no longer accountable to the Members of this House, by signing off such substantial government commitment and direction while the rest of us are completely unaware of this and while we are out face to face with the electorate. Something needs to be fixed, Mr. Speaker. Something needs to be fixed fast.

The next election is a little more than a year from now. If the 17th Assembly began today, it would

already be faced with monumental challenges. They do not need added financial administrative surprises by the Cabinet and they definitely won’t want to get their legs in a trap or painted into a corner if this government signs them to a contract or passes an initiative while the rest of us are out on an election campaign that they are unaware of.

Mr. Speaker, I can’t describe the situation more than it is like a hornet’s nest that has been stirred up and it has been thrown into the Assembly and they have locked the doors, because every time this government seems to fix something, it makes things worse. My feeling is stop fixing things because it is making things worse.

The people of the Northwest Territories can’t afford the guidance and direction that the Cabinet does in closed doors while the rest of us are out campaigning. They certainly deserve better and the people of the North deserve better.

Mr. Speaker, the Supplementary Health Benefits Policy, among other issues, has taught us a very serious lesson certainly the hard way. I urge this government to commit to an accountable process that ensures no significant Cabinet decisions or commitments are made while the rest of the House is out doing its business during the election period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral

questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With a quick glance coming into the Assembly, I can see a constituent, Mrs. Ruth Spence in the gallery and it looks like we have a recent addition of Mr. and Mrs. Larry and Cappy Elkin. Welcome to the Assembly today.

Ms. Bisaro.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to welcome a constituent, Larry Adamson who is here today listening to the Members’ statements and up behind me is Jackie Walsh, assistant to the president of Union of Northern Workers, and Barb Wyness who is the public relations officer with UNW, both constituents of Frame Lake. Welcome to the Assembly.

Mr. Abernethy.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize two residents of the Great Slave riding, Lena Petersen, a former Member of this House as well as a member of the Elders Parliament, and Mr. Todd Parsons, president of the UNW.

Mr. Bromley.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to welcome my mother, Barbara Bromley, to the House, and her lifelong friend, of course, Ruth Spence. I would also like to recognize David Gilday, a resident of Weledeh.

Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, I see a couple of constituents in the gallery today that I would like to recognize, Ms. Joy Watt and Ms. Donna MacEachern. Welcome to the proceedings this afternoon. As well, I see Mr. David Wind, Yellowknife city councillor, in the audience. Welcome to everybody else as well. Thank you.

I, too, would like to thank everyone for coming today and take the opportunity to take in this function. Welcome to the House.

Item 7, acknowledgements. Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the Sahtu, I rise today to acknowledge an important anniversary. On April 19th of this year, Mr.

and Mrs. Aldine and Frank Perriott of Fort Good Hope celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. I

invite all Members to join me in congratulating these wonderful people.

Item 8, oral questions. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about an unaccountable legacy provided by the previous Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the issue really is that former Cabinet has made substantial policy initiatives and changes that have affected the incoming government. Mr. Speaker, my question will be to the Government House Leader, Mr. Miltenberger. Would he be willing to address this issue and pass a Cabinet directive to ensure that no future Cabinet can pass substantial changes to government policy while there is an election period on? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Deputy Premier, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We, I believe, commenced similar related discussions when we all gathered at Blachford. That issue was discussed and the recognition that the June session, 2011, probably will be the last substantive session of this government, of this Assembly and the recognition of the period that the Member talks about. Those discussions, I believe, have already been broached. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my Member’s statement today, we have the legacy of the Deh Cho Bridge, the legacy of the board reform, and certainly the legacy of the direction that is applied to supplementary health benefits. As I said the day before, these are all issues that need to be discussed and reviewed; that is not the issue. The issue is substantial directions, as I have said today. Mr. Speaker, when can we expect the government to move on this initiative beyond the point of discussion or review or thinking about it? Thank you.

Mr. Hawkins, you are swaying away from your original question and your focus in regard to the transitional period of government. Could you keep your questions to that particular topic since that is what you originally started on? I will allow you to repeat your question.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When will the Cabinet be moving forward on some type of initiative that will stop them from making serious substantial Cabinet directions and changes while any government is out during an election period? Thank you. When?

Mr. Speaker, I believe that this is a topic that is before Caucus. As we look at gathering in August, an opportunity to come to an agreement as a Legislature on any related issues would be the appropriate venue. Thank you.

Thank you for that, Mr. Deputy Premier. Mr. Speaker, will the Deputy Premier be making a recommendation that this is an initiative that binds this Cabinet as well as potentially binds the future Cabinets from making those types of substantial decisions going forward? Thank you.

Clearly we’ve engaged fully in this process with the Regular Members and this Legislature has gathered around the table as Caucus and we will continue to do that through the life of this Assembly and we’ll be looking to sort out and agree on those particular issues that will be binding on us all.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve had concern from a constituent from Fort Simpson with regard to the new licence plate and I would just like to raise that with the Minister of Transportation. I just want to get, for his benefit and mine, a little bit more detail on anybody that wanted to continue on with the old plates. Is there legislation passed? Can the constituent continue with the old plates and resist the changes that are coming, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the intent of designing a new plate and having the general public perhaps have limited input as we went forward was to retain the shape, of course, of the polar bear and at the same time increase the safety of the plate and allow the RCMP to be able to view the plate under limited light situations. Our intent is to have all plates in the Northwest Territories replaced over the next 18 months. So as you come forward to renew your plates and have a new plate issued, we think we will be able to capture all the plates that need to be replaced by December 2011. So there is no ability to use the plate you have now. You can retain it. You can put it on your wall, I guess, or you can turn it in, but at this point we intend to have all traffic on the public highway using the new plates by an 18-month period. Thank you.

There is a segment of our population that really appreciates our old plates. I guess the question is: can he continue to use those

plates on his vehicle after the implementation date, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

I thought I had answered that question. Mr. Speaker, the intent is to have everybody replace the old plate with the new design, the new colours and the new plates we wanted to have on all the travelling public, all the vehicles on the road on our highway systems that are registered in the NWT replaced by 2011. So if the person is required to re-register the vehicle, they would have to get a new plate. Thank you.

The other question that people are wondering is why do we have to pay an additional 10 dollars? In fact, my constituent had said the spectacular thing about the new plate is we have to pay an extra 10 dollars, Mr. Speaker. Perhaps the Minister can explain why. Thank you.

That is a good question. Mr. Speaker, the company that we had a contract with for many, many years out of Edmonton gave us notification several years ago that they would not be producing new plates for us, we would have to find a new company and the equipment they were utilizing was to the point in the lifecycle that it needed to be replaced. At any rate, even if we maintained the old plate, the cost would have been probably either the same as what we’re charging now, $10, or more.

We’ve gone to new material. We are no longer using steel for our plates. We are using aluminum. We’ve moved away from the chemical solution we had to apply to the old plates, which makes these a lot more environmentally friendly. We’ve consulted with the RCMP and municipal officers to ensure that the plate will help us in terms of where we need the plate to reflect better, so the RCMP can see it in low light situations and you can also see the plate if the car was parked on the side of the road. So it would help us on that front.

We also worked with the NWT Tourism Association to see how we can use some of the branding we can use for tourism promotion with ITI and right across the government and see if we could make this apply to our licence plate. That’s how we came up with the word “spectacular.” From all our discussions, from most of our discussions anyway, the travelling public has appreciated it and most of the agencies are saying it’s a good move. Thank you.

Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

I’d like to thank the Minister for those answers, Mr. Speaker. Just one more thing is now we are collecting an extra $10. I don’t know how many registrations will happen over the next 18 months, but that fee can add to quite an amount. What is the plan for the revenue that they collect

from the new licence plate fees, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

There are roughly 30,000 plates that will be issued over the next 18 months and all the revenue that’s collected is intended to pay for the actual cost of producing that plate and that’s where the dollars will go. This is not intended to generate any additional revenue except for cost recovery. Thank you.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I spoke of the urgency of getting house materials on a barge for Lutselk’e and starting some repair projects for elders in Fort Resolution. I’d like to follow up my statement with some questions for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me how many seniors are having their units upgraded in Tu Nedhe this summer? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as of the 2010-11 update, we’ve had approximately 16 seniors within Tu Nedhe that have applied for and approved for different programs in the Member’s riding. I would like to point out last year, or the 2009-10 season, we had approximately 37 seniors in Tu Nedhe that were approved for one program or another. Thank you.

Can the Minister advise me if these clients have been notified that they are going to receive repairs from the Housing Corporation? Thank you.

All successful and unsuccessful applicants have been notified at this point whether they were accepted or not. Thank you.

Can the Minister advise me at what stage these projects currently are? Like by stage, I’m referring to whether the drawing or the materials stage or labour contract stage, just what stage in general. Thank you.

I don’t have the information available, but I will gather the information and forward it on to the Member. Thank you.

Final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.

Can the Minister direct his delivery staff to work with me this summer to keep me in the loop, so I can help deal with some of the concerns related to the project and deal with the issues before they become unmanageable, hopefully? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will ask the staff if they will contact the Member every so often and if there is some pending applications, then maybe he would be able to assist with some of those. And, myself, I will keep in close contact with the Member and keep him updated on the activity throughout the summer. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, my colleague Mr. Yakeleya raised the issue of confidential medical records from Norman Wells inadvertently ending up at the CBC here in Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, that was a very serious issue and the Minister, in response to questions from Mr. Yakeleya, stated that it was an accident and sometimes accidents happen.

Mr. Speaker, just yesterday a Yellowknife woman had come forward saying she’s received a dozen faxes containing confidential medical information. Mr. Speaker, I believe the Minister of Health and Social Services has some explaining to do. I would like to ask the Minister if she’s aware of these other breaches of privacy, serious breaches of privacy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did hear about the situation that the Member is describing and we are investigating that. Thank you.

I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services how often major breaches of privacy happen with her department and the health authorities across the Northwest Territories that don’t hit the newspaper or the media. Thank you.

As I indicated in the House, every health authority, every health profession, professionals have a very strict protocol on patient records and medical information and they are to follow those protocols. When there are situations like this as sometimes does happen, then you have to investigate and work with the Privacy Commissioner to make sure those breaches don’t happen again and we are doing that with the latest information. Thank you.

In response to my colleague Mr. Yakeleya on Tuesday, the Minister stated that a policy already exists or is in place to protect the privacy of patients with confidential medical records. I’d like to ask the Minister if she’s willing to share that policy with us and, if there is such a policy, why these breaches are taking place. Thank you.

I’d be happy to share that. We know that policies exist, but it’s the people and machines that implement those policies and procedures. The latest information is that the information was faxed from an Alberta facility and our Privacy Commissioner is in touch with her counterpart to follow up on the details of this. Details are not clear at the moment, but we are following up on that as we take these issues very seriously. Thank you.

Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as if it’s not bad enough that the information is getting out there, the lady that received some of these confidential medical records here in Yellowknife had, in fact, phoned the Stanton Territorial Hospital and told them that she had received this information. She never heard back from the hospital. I’d like to ask the Minister, if she’s going to take a look at this, you know, are people going to be responsible for not getting back to this woman and not telling her what she should do with these confidential medical records when she received them inadvertently. Thank you.

We are investigating the situation to see, in fact, exactly what happened and obviously we want to make sure that all the steps that were to be taken were taken. But first of all we have to have the facts, because this just came to light in the last few hours. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member’s statement today was travel from the outlying communities; Ulukhaktok and smaller communities that travel from communities for medical travel to either Inuvik or Yellowknife being bumped off. Will the Minister commit to working with the various departments and agencies to implement changes provided by the communities to improve the administration for medical travel to prevent future patients to have to wait in their communities or transit centres and half the time while in pain, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I will commit to do that with the Member. We are reviewing the medical travel and we are reviewing the very issue that the Member is raising. Thank you.

When the patient is in pain in the communities, they must be flown out the next day or the next flight, no questions asked, to the nearest hospital. Mr. Speaker, there’s no reason that is good enough to have patients suffer needlessly, especially due to an overbooked plane. Mr. Speaker, how long does the Minister expect people to wait in their home communities in severe pain before a medevac is warranted? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Member is right that we have lots of people in our communities who have a permanent, twenty-four hour medical and health staff. Their services are provided by communities outside. We have to rely on medical travel to do that and obviously the people who live in these communities are entitled to good service and quick access. So, no, we don’t expect people who aren’t well to be waiting in pain. We do have a policy in place to do that. I know the medical director team in the Beaufort-Delta is reviewing the response policy and I will get back to the Member with the details of that. We are working to improve that system. Thank you.

A constituent told me a similar situation where one time they had to wait due to cancellation, because of a lack of passengers, for four days away from their home. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister take the initiative to try to coordinate alternative arrangements when scheduled medical travel flights have been cancelled such as coming back to Yellowknife going through Kugluktuk up to Ulukhaktok? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, we will follow up on that. Thank you.

Thank you. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee. Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement, in two and a half minutes you can’t do much to kind of try and capture and summarize all of the questions and comments surrounding this, but I can clearly tell you today that many, many of my constituents came out to a public meeting that was sponsored

by the Department of Health and Social Services and, without exception, were not in support of the changes to the Extended Health Benefits Program. It was a thoughtful and respectful exchange, but I am here to represent the people of Hay River and I’d like to ask the Minister of Health if, when we go back after all this public consultation and all the debate in this House and all the work that’s gone into this, when an initiative comes before the Cabinet, I remember this, there’s a briefing note that accompanies it and under a heading called purpose, there is a brief description. Then it goes into the background and the political implications and all that stuff. But if the Minister could just tell us what is the purpose succinctly for the overhauling of the extended health care benefits in the Northwest Territories at this time. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The purpose of overhauling the Supplementary Heath Benefits Program is, one, there is a group of our citizens who need supplementary health benefits that are excluded from the current program; two, the way it is designed now is administratively cumbersome and Member...(inaudible)...talked about the administrative difficulties, specified conditions is run by exceptions; and, third, there is no appeal mechanisms for people who are not happy with the system we have now, so we needed to clear out those issues; and, fourth, the program as it exists now is not fair or equitable or sustainable. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I could swear that I have heard the Minister say repeatedly that this overhaul of extended health care benefits does not have anything to do with cost saving, it does not have to do with money. I think we’ve all heard her say that. Okay. Yet, now in the purpose of the overhaul she’s saying that it is about money, because it’s about the sustainability of the program. I’d like to ask the Minister, in her point number one, when she refers to the group of citizens who are excluded who need support, who need help with their costs, what kind of thought in putting together the proposed policy changes was given to where the resources would come from to include that group of people? What kind of consideration was given to that and why today do we have a scenario where it appears that the GNWT is taking away from one group to support another? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Member states that we are overhauling the Supplementary Health Benefits Program, but as the Member knows… I have distributed the article in the Slave River Journal, which did a very good study, a cross-country survey of 12 jurisdictions, and every single jurisdiction including and Yukon and excluding Nunavut, because Nunavut has the same thing as

us. But all of the 11 jurisdictions have supplementary health programs that are income tested or there is a deductible, there are premiums, they are capped. So we’re not inventing a new wheel here. This is something that all jurisdictions do for supplementary health benefit. It’s not for insured health benefits, as Member Yakeleya talked about. Those are the essential health services. This one is supplementary. This is the program that in the rest of the country people do pay for part of the service. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, in fact the Minister, by comparing our program to that and other jurisdictions is saying that our program is costing this government too much money and we’re looking at saving money. So to that argument, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister what kind of financial analysis has been done to actually prove out what these changes will cost us.

Mr. Speaker, I don’t think enough analysis has been done, because I think the new program is going to cost us far more than the existing program. One of those areas where it’s going to cost us is when seniors decide to leave the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, seniors, we don’t need to go into the all details of this, but what they contribute to our communities and their volunteer efforts and everything, but they are also contributing to the personal income tax that this Territory receives. They are also contributing to the transfer from Canada just by their very presence here in the Northwest Territories. They often are close by because they’re part of a larger extended family that is also all here.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister what thought she has given to the ramifications, financial ramifications, not to mention those unquantifiable other contributions that are made by seniors in the Northwest Territories, but what kind of quantifiable, monetary, full costing analysis has been done when seniors and their families start to leave the Northwest Territories. Because it’s fine to say that we’re a unique jurisdiction, and we are. Let’s recognize that. That’s why you have isolated post allowance, northern living allowance… I’m sorry. I’ll stop there. Thank you.

I think one thing we should not lose sight of, because it keeps getting repeated, is that this proposal is taking away benefits from seniors in order to pay for benefits for those who are excluded, because that is totally not true. Most people… Mr. Speaker, what this program is doing, is doing what the government has to do. The government has an obligation to help those who need help from us. There are people, low-income families who are excluded from most essential benefits such as eye care and dental. So for some people that might seem small, but that’s important and government has a role to play in that.

The fact of the matter is we could work the Supplementary Health Program so that the vast majority of seniors will be covered. The proposal we have in place gives 80 percent of our non-aboriginal population a package that’s as good or better than they would get if they worked for the government. That’s a very, very generous program. We are making the program fairer by asking those of us who have more than others, and some of them include seniors but a vast majority are not seniors, and we are trying to make the program fair. I understand, Mr. Speaker, this is a very, very difficult thing to do, but it’s one that we need to look into. Thank you.

Your final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the Minister would have me to believe that this is just a coincidence that we are going to be reducing the support that we provide to our seniors while at the same time looking for a way to help those other lower income Northerners to receive benefits. So it’s just a kind of coincidence that this all happened at the same time and the two are not related at all. If you listen to the Minister, that’s what she is trying to portray.

Mr. Speaker, I am all for helping those people who have no other insurance and need help. I am all for that. But surely this government could have been a little more creative and thought a little further afield as to how we could find the resources to do that without having to impact the benefits of others.

I’d like to ask the Minister what kind of thought was given to that, because I think everybody knows this government seems to have a lot of money for a lot of things that are of questionable value, but when it comes to supporting the people who’ve given -- a lot of them have given their entire lives to this Territory -- I’m sure the government could have come up with some other ideas of where to get that money to support that other group of people. What kind of thought was given to that?

Mr. Speaker, this Extended Health Benefits Program is not new. It’s something that every government grapples with. We’re not inventing a new wheel here. We look at what is available across the country. We looked at what’s the use of it.

Mr. Speaker, we have a proposal before us that would cover the vast majority of seniors, the vast majority of the population who need support from us. We are asking that those of us, and that includes me and many other people who are going to be seniors one day and who hope to be financially better off, that we make our contribution so that we help those seniors down the road and our younger folks, university students or newly starting a job, a single mother with kids, that they get the basic care that they do not get right now. I

believe, at the end of the day, government has a responsibility and the role to look after the poor first, look after the most vulnerable first. We will look after seniors and we will look after everybody who needs us, but no government can afford to do extended health benefits with no questions asked and pay for supplementary health benefits for somebody who’s making two, three, four, five hundred thousand a year. The fact of the matter is we have those people. Thank you.

The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.