This is page numbers 6091 - 6124 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd 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 environmental.

Topics

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

As I have said and I have said it a number of times in the House, I believe BIP also is the best policy the Government of the Northwest Territories has done around economic opportunities to protect residents and businesses in the Northwest Territories, but that is not something that I can have a look at here in the remaining days of this government. We actually only have two weeks left. If that is a priority brought forward by the next 19 Members of this Legislative Assembly, the Minister of ITI will certainly have to have a look at it. That is a discussion to take place in the 19th. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I pointed out in my statement earlier today that there have been a number of instances in which serious and not uncommon medical conditions are not eligible for healthcare supports under the specified disease conditions list through the extended health benefits program. The latest instance brought to me of non-coverage was with regard to autism. I mentioned how the NWT Autism Society has produced legal analysis that claims that non-coverage of these conditions is discriminatory. I would like to know from the Minister whether his office has had a chance to review this brief and what is the government's position on whether exclusion of some conditions from the specified disease conditions list is discriminatory. What is the government's position on whether exclusion of some conditions from eligibility under the specified disease conditions list is discriminatory? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The Honourable Premier.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for clarification, autism is covered currently by the Extended Health Benefits program. However, we recognize that the Extended Health Benefits Policy is outdated and that we face issues with how the current eligibility criteria for the program are structured. A comprehensive review of the supplementary health benefits programs is underway. Some preliminary work has been done to determine what other jurisdictions have done to identify disadvantaged groups for increased supports. Moving forward, the department will be examining all aspects of need, to ensure distribution of our limited resources is not discriminatory.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks to the Premier for clarifying that autism is covered. I know when I talked to people here in Yellowknife, when they called to find out whether autism was covered, the frontline staff said it was not, so there seems to be some confusion here. Regardless of the government's position on whether autism is covered or not, I would like to know from the Minister: does a comprehensive list exist of what's covered under the specified disease conditions, and will the Minister table that list in this House?

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

There is a publicly available list of specified disease conditions, and this list is available on the Health and Social Services website. Over the years since 1988, the department received a number of requests that did not fall under the specified disease conditions schedule. Over time, exceptions were made to provide coverage for disease conditions that were not on the list, and, at one point, there were an additional 25 disease conditions being covered on an exceptions basis. In 2010, the department went forward to Cabinet to get approval for an additional 10 disease conditions to be included on the list. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Premier for that information. There seems to be some confusion about what's covered and what's not, but I understand from what the Premier said that there is a review that may have started, failed efforts in the past to review the extended health benefits programs, including the specified disease condition list. I would like to ask the Premier: what's the holdup, and when will this review really commence?

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

As you know, the cost of pharmaceuticals is an ever-growing cost for the Government of the Northwest Territories and has enormous implications for the sustainability of our supplementary health benefit programs. When the Government of Canada began discussions with the provinces and territories on national pharmacare, we postponed the review until there were clearer indications as to Canada's position because of the implications a national program would have on our benefit programs.

The Advisory Council on National Pharmacare established by the federal government released a report earlier this summer on options for a national pharmacare program. The report was very broad and did not provide the clarity that would have guided the Government of the Northwest Territories moving forward. It is also unclear what next steps may occur, given the upcoming federal government election. It will remain important to align our efforts on supplementary health benefit reform with those occurring at the national level. We will need to wait until the dust settles after the federal election to see whether national pharmacare will move forward and what changes are coming before we make our own. Regardless, the work on the supplementary health benefit reform will be revived and continue into the next government.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. Thanks to the Premier for that. There have been a lot of anxiety and unfavourable reactions in the past to efforts to review extended health benefits programs here. I would like to know what kind of preparation work is specifically being done and how our stakeholders are being properly informed and assured that this work is going to start soon. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Recognizing the impacts that supplementary health benefits coverage has for many in the Northwest Territories, public engagement will be carried out before any proposed changes are made. Before going out for public engagement, a certain amount of scoping and cross-jurisdictional research must be completed. Public awareness efforts will occur as part of any public engagement campaign carried out in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister responsible for Housing. As I mentioned, there is a housing shortage in the Mackenzie Delta, much like a lot of the communities in the Northwest Territories. I would like to ask the Minister: are there plans to increase the housing stock? We are doing a great job replacing units, but we still have a housing shortage. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To our agreement with the federal government, our obligation is to provide public housing to just over 1,300 units. Currently, we go above and beyond that and provide about 2,400 units in public housing, plus market rent and other projects that we do within the Housing Corporation.

Most recently, when we were at the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association conference in Victoria, we did give that information to the membership there and talked about how we are making those strides to address housing in the North. We also know that there is a national Indigenous Housing Caucus that, as the Housing Corporation, we are going to be looking at providing possibly a couple of memberships for people that really need it. As the speaker knows and Members know, I did make a statement in the House yesterday on the community housing plans and how we address those.

There are numerous programs that we do throughout the Housing Corporation, and I think that it is through the leadership of the MLA, and the leadership of the chief and mayor, that we can sit down and start working on how we can address this and inform everyone on the programs that we do, which we did do during the first housing summit that we had up in Inuvik earlier this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

I would like to ask the Minister: will the department hold workshops in the Mackenzie Delta on how to take advantage of all the federal funding that is available for new homes in the communities?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

One of the objectives that we had when we did the housing summit was that we can bring all of our Indigenous leadership together throughout the Northwest Territories, so that we can actually go and lobby the federal government, as well as our national Indigenous organizations, to see how we can get some of that funding here in the Northwest Territories.

As I have mentioned in this House before, the Inuvialuit has a good partnership with ITK, and they are doing some really good work up in the ISR region. We want to make sure that we can ensure that our other Indigenous organizations throughout the Northwest Territories have that same opportunity, and we will continue to work with our leadership to try to access that kind of funding.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Is there a limit to what a community can access with the National Housing Co-investment Fund?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

One of the bright sides of the co-investment fund was that we were able to negotiate a $60 million carve-out that the NWT can use, and we are working with Indigenous organizations, as well as NGOs and our stakeholders that address housing needs in the Northwest Territories. Above and beyond that, we can still work with our partners to put in applications federally to that co-investment fund.

As we work on that, I think that we are going to see some good head way moving forward, but there is not a limit, and I encourage all organizations, Indigenous governments, to come and meet with our headquarters or even send an email to myself or through your MLA to see how we can put in an application as well as working with the CMHC to possibly seek some of their seed funding to get a proposal proposed.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I would like to ask some questions about the Food Establishment Safety Regulations that I found out about today through the Minister's statement. I was contacted while we were in the House here by someone who prepares food for sale at the Yellowknife Farmer's Market. Can the Minister tell us what sort of public engagement took place around the development of the Food Establishment Safety Regulations? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The Honourable Premier.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have to take that question as notice. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The question has been taken as notice. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.