Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have been asked for the past two years about connecting the residents of Fort Liard with Fort Nelson Hospital. The last Minister’s tour, as I was told by a number of the residents, this has been an issue for the past 25 years. You heard me correctly, Mr. Speaker, 25 years. Today, Mr. Speaker, I am going to share with you words from some elders who would like to see this issue resolved once and for all.

Mr. Speaker, most of the people of Fort Liard prefer to go to Fort Nelson for medical appointments and access to hospital services. It is a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Fort Nelson, compared to a three-and-a-half-hour drive to Fort Simpson, then a two-hour plane ride to Yellowknife, then a short drive to the hospital for an appointment, then a long wait for the return flight, and then another long ride home.

Some of the issues they have experienced: no interpreters available; drivers dropping them off without support or direction for their appointments; some of their plane rides were very scary, and they felt very stressed; there have been numerous flight delays in which appointments are cancelled or need to be rearranged. They and I feel it would be more cost-efficient and less stressful for the people to go to Fort Nelson. Some patients with little English or no English are sent home without an idea of what is wrong with them, what the aftercare plan is about, or what to do next.

Mr. Speaker, I have stated before: the elders prefer to travel to Fort Nelson. They like the fact that they have friends and families close by. There are places to rent and stay that are less costly for family members. Mr. Speaker, as elders stated, "Our lives and health are important." Unfortunately, we have lost too many of our loved ones to health issues, and it seems that the GNWT does not seem to care. They tell me, "We do live in Canada. BC and NWT are in Canada. We are status, and we should be treated as such and be covered in Canada." They want our help to have the proper medical care in place, which means using the closest hospital, too. As well, they would like to have access to more Dene treatments. Presently, medical travel only seems to cover travel in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services later on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.