Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a contract is in place with the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority and the board that is the employer. That’s been in place and that has been honoured. They’ve waited for a conclusion to this. Of course, we are dealing with a separate employer dealing with their employees. From my standpoint, it’s to honour the initial contract with the society that’s delivering that service. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that Bill 20, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the way our program works is all individuals are required to register for health care services in the Northwest Territories. Those who receive non-insured health benefits receive over and above what other residents do receive. It's a staged program. So all people would be registered in the Northwest Territories and would end up falling under this category. I can get further detail to the Member if that's required. Thank you.

Sorry, Mr. Chairman, I'd have to hear that question again.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the direction was given to live within the budget and that's the intent and that's the work that's being done, is to do the work that's necessary within the budget. We're waiting for our final layout as to what renovation will be taking place, and then I can come back to this House with further information. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the treatment centre is, as the Member pointed out, a decision was made to relocate and look at one of our existing facilities in the community of Hay River for a renovation projection. We've worked with the Department of Public Works and Services on a cost analysis of that, and it was decided, after a second review of that, that we would proceed with a renovation of that facility and are continuing to work with the Department of Public Works and Services to come up with some final options on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the process works for referrals from one doctor to another, one jurisdiction to another, it requires having a doctor in our jurisdiction make that referral. As Minister, the process as established through our professionals is something that I would endorse. As for the department meeting, myself sitting down with the department to look at this specific case, I’ve begun that process to look at this. Ultimately again, as I stated earlier in another round of questions, I would work with the professionals in this field to see what we can do. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the regime where we work under and the environment we work under today without this change, if someone was to receive a dividend from a corporation, the existing process would be that they'd be hit up in a sense, as I had stated in my opening comments, a double hit on taxation because of our federal/territorial rules. That's why a lot of corporations would set other things up. For example, income trusts. That scenario is a flow-through which then we would not, as a GNWT, receive any of that possible tax. So that's the reason why we're doing this as...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the acceptable wait times and reducing wait times is an issue that all jurisdictions are facing; in fact, working together with the other jurisdictions and the federal government to try to come up with a program that would reduce wait times people face throughout our systems. As for the Northwest Territories, I don’t have the specifics and I’d have to get some detail on that, then I can provide that to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The tax policy area is quite I wouldn't want to say convoluted, but it is a difficult one to understand how it actually works from one bracket to another. So for that level of detail, I'll have Ms. Melhorn provide some detail.