Bob Bromley

I would like to call Committee of the Whole to order. We have before us today Tabled Document 4-16(5), Tabled Document 30-16(5) and Tabled Document 38-16(5). What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Speaker, I’ll just remind the Minister that our Elders Parliament was clear on that question and I refer her to their sage insights on that issue. I’d like to ask what input from the Minister’s stakeholder panel did she include in the current proposals. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I’d like to start by asking the Minister what is the cost of administering the current supplementary health system and what’s the anticipated cost of the new system under the Minister’s current proposal? Can she compare and contrast those costs for me? Thank you.

Thank you. It’s sad that the Minister doesn’t realize what the main point is here, that this consultation process has been a sham and that some extremely important aspects and sources of good insight for us have been skipped over in the process. I’ve had many comments from constituents on the quality and bias, for example, of the on-line survey, and I know the Minister has received those same comments, a survey which was also difficult to fill out with complete comments. Many have noted that the survey may not have been available to seniors that don’t have computers. I’m told that the, well, I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services, and I’d like to look at a consultation process following up on my questions on Monday. When I asked the Minister why the NWT Pharmaceutical Association’s offer of advice and AGM appearance to the department was not taken up, the Minister replied saying she didn’t invite Mr. Dolynny’s offered input because he was not the current association president, and that five-day notice of the AGM was too short for her staff to make the meeting. I’ve gathered information from the association which paints quite a...

Health care should be on the top of that list. Many have said they would even pay more tax to ensure coverage of everyone and to avoid co-payments when they are sick, elderly, and less able to pay. Let’s listen to what our employers and the taxpayers say and make fair health care for all priority number one. The public response has been clear, expressed eloquently through public submissions and beautifully captured by the Elders Parliament resolutions supporting supplementary health benefits for everyone.

Mr. Speaker, much of supplementary so-called health care is, in reality, basic health care...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do have a final question, and I just want to preface by saying I think the Minister and Cabinet must surely be aware that the answers we’re hearing are totally inadequate and the main point behind all of this discussion today is that we’re not there yet. We need to go back to the drawing board on this. The Members are speaking and the public has spoken.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me, given the complexity and administrative challenges we can expect with the current proposals, given that people that are covered by third-party insurance may very well drop it under...

Thank you. Last fall the Minister announced the launch of the new website, the recruitment and retention website, hopefully to overcome some of these chronic problems of staffing our professional and specialist vacancies. So I’m wondering what monitoring is being done, what the results are. Can the Minister tell me what progress is being made as a result of that and whatever other efforts the department is taking to decrease our vacancies in our medical staff and specialists? Thank you.

Health services are at the top of every Canadian’s list of priorities and Northerners are no different. Our residents receive many excellent services from our dedicated and often over-tasked health care professionals. My constituents still speak highly about the treatment they receive for emergency and catastrophic health issues. It is our preventative and diagnostic programs and access to specialists that are failing. Let’s see some real progress on these very real issues.