Glen Abernethy

I still didn’t hear an answer to my question. I’m not sure which public she is listening to. Clearly, there’s a significant amount of people out there who have concerns.

I want to go back to the policy for just a second. The statement of the policy is that the Government of the Northwest Territories will provide certain supplementary health benefits to non-aboriginal residents and their families who are not eligible for either -- and it’s an or question -- either supplementary health benefits available to aboriginal people or for supplemental health benefits available through employer programs...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. In March 2009, this side of the House passed a motion unanimously for you to go back and review the changes or, rather, go back to the drawing board on the changes that you are proposing on supplementary health at that time. In discussions following that, the Minister said that she would go back to the drawing board, that she would develop a stakeholders group and she would listen to them for options and alternatives and do some research around that.

Since that time it has become clear that she had...

I want to ask today that the Minister actually listens to these people and truly hears what they have to say. Don’t implement your proposed plan. Let’s take it back and consider options that will truly work for all and not break our budget with the solutions that exist. The Minister needs to be open to options and desire of her constituents and our constituents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

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 wish to table a motion put forward by the Elders Parliament on the Supplementary Health Benefits Program. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is a far bigger problem than the Minister is giving it any credit for. I met a young man yesterday. He has a chronic condition. It costs him $10,000 a month. If that individual, who just graduated from university goes and works for the GNWT, he gets 80 percent coverage under his insurance. Therefore, he is only going to be spending $2,000 a month out of pocket. He is probably going to start at about $50,000, so if he chose to say, okay, I don’t want to work for the GNWT, I am going to go somewhere where they don’t give me insurance, he is going to get all the money...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Originally, I was going to ask questions to the Premier on supplementary health, but now I am going to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services some questions on supplementary health. In responding to Ms. Bisaro, the Minister of Health said that this new policy excludes nobody. Can the Minister please confirm for me that this new policy that is going to be proposed is not going to exclude anybody? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I tabled a process convention that was fully agreed upon by Caucus in Fort Smith last summer on the standing committee review of proposed policy initiatives and implementation plans. This process convention outlines the roles of Cabinet, Ministers and committees, when it comes to establishing new policies or making substantive amendments to or rescinding of existing policies. This process convention does not apply to minor administrative amendments which will not significantly impact established policy commitments.

I suggest that the proposed...

I would like to call Committee of the Whole to order. On our agenda we have Tabled Document 4-16(5), Executive Summary of the Report of the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project. What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.