Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister for Health and Social Services, and I want to follow up on my statement about the cancellation of the Midwifery Program.
I recognize that cancellation may not be the correct word. The program was suspended, and it was suspended at the request of the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority, but that authority has never, ever been funded adequately for the Midwifery Program, and it has actually put them into a deficit, from what I understand. To my way of thinking, the Minister’s acceptance of Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority’s request shows no willingness on the part of the department to find the money to keep the program going. I’d like to ask the Minister to explain why the department considered it okay for a well used, successful program to be cancelled or suspended -- your choice of words -- outright, without careful consideration of the impact that it would have. Thank you.