Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It has been almost two years since this government closed the Joe Greenland Centre in Aklavik to elders who cannot live independently. Now there’s a lineup of elders waiting to get into the facility in Inuvik, which serves the entire Beaufort-Delta.

I am not convinced the facility in Inuvik can handle all the elders who need care. I am even less convinced that sending them from the communities to Inuvik and Yellowknife is the best way to care for our elders.

In my riding alone, there are more than 300 elders over the age of 60. In Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic, there’s only one home care worker for each community. Even if the elders can’t stay at home, the elders themselves would rather live in Fort McPherson or Aklavik instead of Inuvik. The reason is that family and friends visit regularly and bring the elders traditional food.

The Joe Greenland Centre is part of the social and cultural fabric of the Delta. The community of Aklavik was proud of its role in taking care of our elders. Members of the 16th Legislative Assembly

agreed in their last year in office and passed a motion to continue providing long-term care for elders at the Joe Greenland Centre.

For all these reasons, I am asking the Health Minister to reverse his department’s decision to end long-term care at the Joe Greenland Centre. I believe the current building can be renovated to meet the necessary standards, but if it’s not possible, a new facility should be built in the Mackenzie Delta. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.