This is page numbers 6621 – 6658 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 5th 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 services.

Topics

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Canadian residents, the residents of Fort Liard can receive services anywhere in this country with no cost as long as it’s medically necessary. So if they travel down there for a doctor’s appointment or if they travel down there for an emergency situation, those costs are actually covered through reciprocal billing.

What I believe the Member is talking about is when members of the community choose to go to Fort Nelson as opposed to going to the health centre, they

want

their

travel

covered.

Our

recommendation is that we use the health facilities here in the Northwest Territories first and that they go to the health centre. If they get a referral out, we do cover those costs, but we don’t have an agreement with the Government of British Columbia to provide additional services to residents of the Northwest Territories.

I have asked my department to have some discussions with BC at the admin level to figure out what steps would be necessary to do that. We haven’t made it very far, unfortunately, and I don’t really have too much of an update for the Member at this time other than the fact that we are looking at it to see what needs to be done in order to allow us to do some referrals, if possible.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

When the Minister talks about using our health services in Fort Liard, that’s an entirely different question, because the Minister is well aware of the other concerns with regard to people not trusting or else being dismissed by our Fort Liard Health centre, but that’s an entirely different issue altogether.

What I’m talking about is when Alberta had the Capital Health Services we had a written agreement to use their services, their facilities with our medevac services, et cetera, and now they’re called Alberta Health. I’d just like to ask the Minister exactly what type of arrangement or agreement do we currently have with the Government of Alberta with regard to health.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

The Government of Alberta, the Alberta Health Services is our primary partner in the delivery of services. They do most of our diagnostics around things like MRIs. They are

the specialists that we send our residents to, and they have a direct link and cooperation with our practitioners here in the Northwest Territories and agreements that allow them to share information, where appropriate, as long as it falls under the Health Information Act and the Access to Information.

We have agreements in place that allow us to work together and refer to them. We don’t have those same agreements with BC. It would take negotiation to set up those types of agreements, and we’ve got to do, obviously, cost-benefit analysis on that and make sure that those agreements are actually going to provide some value.

In the meantime, I do remind the Member as well as the residents of the Northwest Territories, and particularly Liard, as you travel outside of the Northwest Territories and you do go to hospitals or health centres outside of the Northwest Territories, those costs are recovered under our reciprocal billing and you shouldn’t have a cost. Where we’ve run into a difficulty with Fort Nelson is they don’t have the ability to refer back to the Northwest Territories for things like home care, physio, occupational therapy or any of the additional programs that we provide above and beyond what is consistent across this country.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

I’m very pleased that at least

the department is beginning the process of trying to understand the situation about having Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte residents having a travel cost. I think that’s the biggest issue, because the Minister is right; we do have reciprocal billing and we do have an agreement throughout the provinces that our health care cards are recognized in BC as well as Alberta, but it’s just a matter of getting there, seeing the services. Like I said, they’ve been doing it for decades. They’re familiar with the doctors and the dentists in those communities in northern BC.

I’d just like to ask the Minister once again, can be commit to have his department seriously look at this issue and see how much further we can go about delivering health care close to home to the residents of Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte?

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

I’m happy to have the

department continue and re-engage in some dialogue with BC to see what it would take, but I do put some provisos around that. When a resident of the Northwest Territories chooses to go outside of this province for medical treatment that’s available in this province, we don’t cover that. What we’re talking about now is whether or not we can cover people for referrals, somebody who’s actually accessed and engaged in the system. So not people who are just making choices to travel outside but where there’s been a referral or something, we’re certainly willing to have those discussions.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, I can say unequivocally on behalf of the residents of Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte that they’re not choosing to go there. It’s just that over time they’ve developed trust issues about service of health delivery with our own system. But aside from that, if we can develop this base, the residents have a working relationship already. I’m just asking our government, let’s formalize this, let’s work a way around it, let’s continue supporting our residents getting the proper health and close to home delivery of health care that they can.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

We’re committed to

providing health and social services in the Northwest Territories as close to home as possible, and I heard the Member that we have some issues with Liard and the trust issues. I’d say that it’s going to be important for the future Ministers and the existing Minister as well as Members to work with our communities to find out how we can overcome some of those trust issues and re-encourage some trust and faith in the system that is available here in the Northwest Territories.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The time for question period has expired. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Mr. Miltenberger.

Tabling of Documents

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following four documents, entitled “Supplementary

Estimates

(Operations

Expenditures), No. 2, 2015-

2016;” “Supplementary

Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2015-2016

;” a letter dated March 13, 2014, to the

chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations regarding committee recommendations on Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Liquor Act; and a letter dated September 5, 2014, to the chair, Standing Committee on Government Operations, regarding committee recommendations on Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Liquor Act.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 19-17(5): Report on the Review of the 2015 Report of the Auditor General of Canada on Corrections in the Northwest Territories.”

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Pursuant to Section 68 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I wish to table the 2014-15 Annual Report, Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.

I would also like to recognize, colleagues, Ms. Elaine Keenan Bengts, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, who is present in the gallery here today. Thank you for visiting our Legislative Assembly, Ms. Keenan Bengts.

Item 15, notices of motion. Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Tuesday, October 6, 2015, I will move the following motion: now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that this Legislative Assembly request the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories to dissolve the 17th Assembly of the Northwest Territories on October 25, 2015, to permit polling day for a general election to be held on November 23, 2015;

and further, that the Speaker transmit this resolution to the Commissioner.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Mr. Bouchard.

Robert Bouchard

Robert Bouchard Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that Bill 69, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, No. 2, be read for the first time.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Question has been called. Motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 69, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, No. 2, has had first reading.

Item 19, second reading of bills. Mr. Abernethy.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 68, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, No. 2, be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Child and Family Services Act to remove all references to the Child and Family Services Committee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Question has been called. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 68, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, No. 2, has had second reading. Mr. Abernethy.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 69(2) and have Bill 68 moved into Committee of the Whole.

---Unanimous consent granted

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Bill 68 is moved into Committee of the Whole. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Bill 45, An Act to Amend the Workers’ Compensation Act; Bill 49, An Act to Amend the Deh Cho Bridge Act; Bill 56, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2015; Bill 59, Estate Administration Law Amendment Act; Bill 60, An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act, No. 2; Bill 61, An Act to Amend the Public Airports Act; Bill 62, An Act to Amend the Coroners Act; Bill 63, An Act to Amend the Victims of Crime Act; Bill 64, An Act to Amend the Co-operative Associations Act; Bill 65, An Act to Amend the Safety Act; Bill 68, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, No. 2; Minister’s Statement 221-17(5), Sessional Statement; Tabled Document 281-17(5), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates, 2016-2017; Tabled

Document 324-17(5),

Supplementary

Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2015- 2016;

and

Tabled

Document 325-17(5),

Supplementary

Estimates

(Infrastructure

Expenditures), No. 3, 2015-2016, with Mr. Dolynny in the chair.