Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the medical travel policy was revised on April 1, 2015 to remove some program-level details. This detail was moved into three ministerial policies, one on eligibility criteria, one on escort criteria, as well as one on benefits. A ministerial policy on appeal process was also created at that time, which is a new feature within medical travel.
In order to ensure that the ministerial policies reflect the needs of residents of the Northwest Territories, a review of the policies is ongoing. To assist with this review, a consultant, DPRA, was contracted by the department to hold public engagement sessions across the Northwest Territories from December 2014 to March 2015. A number of different stakeholders were consulted as part of this review, including residents and patients in communities of varying sizes across the Northwest Territories, Aboriginal governments and organizations, NGOs like the NWT Seniors' Society and the Canadian Cancer Society.
A report was prepared as a result of this engagement, called "Patient Escort Supports: A Report on What We Heard," which was made publicly available. One of the key recommendations that came out of this public dialogue was the creation of a medical travel navigation booklet for patients and escorts, which we hope to release soon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.