Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to continue a familiar theme: health care for my people. I don’t want to give the impression that our health care system is fundamentally flawed. It isn’t, Mr. Speaker. But as the Minister of Health says himself, there’s definitely room for improvement.

One of the goals of our health system is to deliver services as close to home as possible, and I’m all for that. A simple change would really help out the people of Fort Liard and, at the same time, probably lower the costs of health in my region.

People of Fort Liard are already getting some of their health services in Fort Nelson, British Columbia. Liard residents often use their own resources and drive south for certain services. It’s only 210 kilometres from Fort Liard to Fort Nelson, compared to 284 kilometres towards Fort Simpson and then an additional airplane ride to Yellowknife. The road to Fort Nelson is in better shape, too, because it’s Highway No. 7, Mr. Speaker.

What’s more? Fort Nelson is triple the size of Fort Simpson, so it has more services. It is not uncommon for Fort Liard patients to be flown to Yellowknife, which is almost 800 kilometres away. Instead, why not send patients south to Fort Nelson General Hospital?

Each year, tens of thousands of Canadians cross provincial or territorial borders to receive health care. Oftentimes it is a simple matter of patient choice because it is more convenient to skip across

the border. This is made possible by the in-Canada portability provisions of the Canada Health Act.

I would like to see a formal agreement between the Department of Health and Social Services and the BC Ministry of Health that allows Fort Liard residents to receive health care in Fort Nelson.

Across the country, agreements of this kind are very common. With expanding the use of electronic medical records, it should be easier than ever to manage this type of arrangement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.