Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, as well, think I owe the people of the Northwest Territories and my colleague, Mr. Zoe, the respect of him hearing my comments as to where I stand on the situation.

Mr. Speaker, this is not an easy situation, as has been said by many of my colleagues, for any of us. Whether you vote yes or no, it’s still very difficult because we are talking about an individual’s life, his personal life, his family life, his professional life. We are talking about a circumstance where other people were involved and other people were affected, some more acutely than...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have developed a job description. It has been classified both in terms of the criteria for the qualifications, as well as the pay. We’ve also recognized that there is work to be done at the community level we’ve attempted to tie in to the broader strategy. We know that there are incumbents. We’ve been working through the authorities, and in a majority of areas this program was rolled out successfully. There is still work to be done and we are committed to working with the authorities and communities to ensure that we do that in a careful way of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as was pointed out a number of years ago now, the whole area of alcohol and drug addictions and mental health was an area that was not evolving as it should, that it suffered to a certain extent from begin neglected. The attempt here is to come up with a strategy and plan that would properly compensate individuals and get some new positions put in when it comes to mental health, to standardize qualifications and to bring the participants into working with the authorities and their other colleagues and have an integrated service delivery model. The intent...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this was an administrative change to hopefully improve how the system was administered, but there was no change to the drugs or the type of pharmaceuticals covered. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my opinion we gave appropriate consideration to all the people involved in all of the organizations and institutions involved in this particular issue, and it has been a relatively fluid situation and some things have possibly been overtaken by events. But at the end of the day, Mr. Speaker, Nunavut, as I indicated, pulled their clients in March, the Alberta government as well pulled their clients. Our obligation is to ensure that the safety and service that we were buying, and the safety of our clients was ensured, and we’ve taken steps to do that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a government we do have an obligation to ensure that the services that we purchase, that the clients that we place in other jurisdictions are adequately cared for within that jurisdiction, that their safety and well being is protected, and we’ve taken steps to do that. When we considered the decisions we made, we looked at all the information that was there available. We have had staff down there for a number of weeks, we have been working with the Alberta government, the Public Guardian’s Office, and when the decision was made it was based on all the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories, like the other 12 provincial jurisdictions will all be getting their lists ready for post-June 28th when we know who in fact the government in the land will be at the federal level. So I can assure the Member that the issue he has raised in this House is one that is on our list and we will be moving on that when we, once again, know who the government of the day will be at the federal level. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have had discussions with Minister McLellan before she moved from her portfolio, with Minister Pettigrew, about the possibility of moving those people from the northern secretariat who administer programs in the health area on behalf of the people in the Northwest Territories to the North. At this point they are only discussions, but the intent across the board is as we look at devolution in talking with DIAND and in talking with Health Canada is to have those services and programs that are administered by federal civil servants as close to the people...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, let me be as clear as I can on this issue. We are not abandoning anybody. We have made all the appropriate arrangements. We have had staff down there for the last few weeks trying to work through this transition. The reality is, at the end of the day, APYS has to get its house in order with the Alberta government so they are duly licensed and they comply with all the other hearings where they have to, and at which time we will consider doing business with them. Until that is done, we have an obligation to ensure that the people from the North are given...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in the House yesterday, integrated services and housing is available with all the other professional supports that are required. We have meetings today with the individual clients, outside of the glare and pressure cooker intensity of group meetings, but we have been approached. They were talking to clients on an individual basis. So I am confident that as this issue moves through its transition phase that we will be able to make sure that all the clients we have down there are successfully integrated into the alternate placements that...