Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health and Social Services is doing a review of the Medical Travel Policy. We've already made a number of changes and improvements, including putting in an appeal mechanism. With respect to whether or not we intend to modify the Medical Travel Policy specifically for an age requirement, that is not something that we're doing right now, Mr. Speaker. I've had an opportunity to travel around the Northwest Territories and meet lots of different individuals, including seniors, and I've had many seniors tell me, just because I'm 65 doesn't mean that I need or should get a non-medical escort.

We have some tight criteria for when an escort is supported, a non-medical escort is supported. In fact, it also has to be based on a clinical referral from a practitioner. Non-medical escorts will be supported when a patient is under the age of 19 and requires an escort, when a patient is breastfeeding an infant and requires an escort, when a patient has a mental or physical disability of a nature that he or she is not able to travel unassisted, and when the patient requires an escort for interpretation during their travel.

In many situations, if a senior has got some mobility issues they will likely get a non-medical escort; if they have communication issues, they will likely get an escort, but it does have to be referred to a physician, and I'm hearing people across the Northwest Territories, as I said, say just because I'm 65 doesn't mean that I'm physically unable to attend meetings on my own.