This is page numbers 5011 - 5050 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd 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 work.

Topics

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you. So this is a three-tier process. We are currently in tier one, which looks at internal controls and cost containment initiatives. Some of the things that we've done relate to the supplementary health benefits that I mentioned yesterday, so that's offering generics instead of biologic drugs, changing the dispensing fee regimen so that meds are dispensed 100 days at a time rather than every 30 days. And those are some specific examples of things that we're trying to do to contain costs. But at the end of the day, we are underfunded and the demand for additional services is relentless. And so until there is some acknowledgement, starting by the Members in this House, of the fact that we can't afford to do everything for everyone, we're going to continue facing this issue. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I do hear the Minister, and that's why I started with the question of whether or not healthcare in this territory is chronically underfunded. There are certain things that residents of this territory are going to expect to be able to have access to and equitable access to across the territory. Health demands are much different, say, in Fort Smith or in Yellowknife as they might be in Nunakput and the costs of each of those. And so my question to the Minister then is what conversations is the GNWT having to ensure that health systems in the territory are adequately funded? Thank you.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Having a little private laugh about a meeting this morning. Yes, what we need is we need to do several things. One is that we need an increase to the Canada health transfer, and that's something that the Premier is working on at the Council of the Federation table. And you may have seen the ads reinforcing those messages that have appeared recently.

We are also negotiating with the federal government to continue to fund and, in fact, augment the Territorial Health Innovation Fund which is -- it's a fund that acknowledges that costs in the NWT, and this fund is available in Nunavut and Yukon too, but costs in these remote places are more expensive.

The Department of Health and Social Services has submissions in with the Financial Management Board which point out areas in which we are underfunded and in which we need more funding. The thing about it is that health is expensive to deliver. It is getting more expensive. The population is aging. They're sicker than they ever have been. We're a great distance from specialists' care. So there are cost drivers that I don't think we are going to be able to overcome without a big injection of cash from the federal government.

The other thing we have to do, which we've started with the supplementary health benefits, is we need to ask people who can afford to pay to pay for things that we're currently giving away. So that is, for example, not having any rational reason to pay all the drugs for somebody who has cystic fibrosis and none for ALS. That is a system that doesn't make any sense and a system that we're trying to fix so that it is both equitable and that people who can afford to pay do pay. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I appreciate the concerns of my colleague on my left, and I appreciate her concerns for more services. But I just want to make a statement:

We don't have enough funds and I don't want anything to be decreased in the communities and the regional centres at the health centres, because we've lost a lot already and we don't intend on losing any more to increase more services until everything has been looked at. And with that, I just want to emphasize to the Minister that I appreciate her statement, and I appreciate and respect my colleague on my left also. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. There's no question; we'll move on. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, can the Minister of Infrastructure tell me how many contracts MTS bid on in the last three years, including the number of successful bids and whether these contracts resulted in profit or losses. And I would accept that response in writing. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister of Infrastructure.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, MTS has not bid on any contracts independently in the last three years. Given the nature of the work, customers come to MTS and services are negotiated. The revenue from these customers and the commercial activities assist us in offsetting costs for some of the special resupply. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. And I guess when I'm talking about bidding is that I know that companies will come and they'll look for prices from different companies and, you know, the fuel resupply might be one of them. So I think that, you know, they did -- they have bid on it even though they don't know it.

Madam Speaker, can the Minister confirm the net cost of having to resupply Sachs Harbour by air? Thank you.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the net cost is still being compiled. These costs may fluctuate based on weather and resupply times. To date, two competitive tenders have been awarded for airlift - one for cargo and one for fuel, with the approximate value of about $3 million. Upon completion of the resupply, I will provide Member and committee with the final costs. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. And since we are out of time, I'm going to just take this opportunity, Members, that I wish to draw your attention to the presence of a former Member in the gallery, Mr. Bill Braden. Mr. Braden was an MLA in the 14th and 15th Assembly.

Your second supplementary. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, we cannot allow MTS to continue down the same management path. Can the Minister tell me where is the department in the process with the MTS core construction review? Thank you.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, in April of 2022, the GNWT issued a nonbinding request for expression of interest for the marine operator services. We received expression of interest from several private operators. During that same period, Madam Speaker, the department established a transition team to engage with the stakeholders, conduct outreach with the marine industry, coordinate procurement and contract negotiation processes.

So since April 2022, the transition team has been reviewing the financial situation developing a commercial strategy for the procurement. The team has also been working on a proforma contract for the procurement. So engagement has also been held with the GNWT staff members at marine transportation services, as well as early engagement with the Town of Hay River. So operators who expressed interest have been advised of the status of the procurement. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the Minister had said they will do an assessment of this last season and the work there and what went wrong, and hopefully a few things went right. So that'll be in there as well. So I'd ask the Minister just to commit to providing a copy of that post-mortem assessment to me and committee. Thank you.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I can go back to the department and get back to the Member on what we can share. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Time for oral questions has expired. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Replies to Commissioner's address. Petitions. Reports of committees on the review of bills. Report of standing and special committees. Tabling of documents. Minister of Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I wish to table the following three documents: Plain Language Summary for Bill 62, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, No. 2; Changing the Relationship Action Plan in Response to the Calls for Justice on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Peoples; and, Inter-Activity Transfers over $250,000 April 1st to June 30th, 2022. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Tabling of documents. Minister for ECE.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Madam Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents: Plain Language Summary for Bill 63, An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act;
2021-2022 Annual Report on Official Languages; and, Administration of the
Northwest Territories Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act Annual Report 2021-2022. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Tabling of documents. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I wish to table the following four documents: Tlicho Community Services Agency Health and Social Services Agency Annual Report 2021-2022; the 2022-2023 Health and Social Services Authority Budgets; Hay River Health and Social Services Authority Annual Report 2021-2022; and, the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority 2021-2022 Annual Report. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Tabling of documents. Minister of Infrastructure.