Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we as a government did not get everything we asked for. There was an out-of-court settlement. We signed an agreement that resulted in the GNWT getting 95 percent of the expenditures for insured medical services for Inuit and Indian residents up to agreed upon maximum. So we have an agreement, there was an out-of-court settlement, but it didn’t meet all our needs and the gap has once again grown. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a number of issues that constantly bedevil this process. The federal government challenges a lot of the expenditures. We, as a territory, have some programs and services that are higher or greater than the federal government wants to pay for. They refuse and disallow those invoices. The program was only funded at 95 percent, so there’s a five percent deficit that we deal with yearly because there’s a cap set on what they’re going to pay. There’s a whole host of reasons and, as we know from many of our other negotiations with the federal...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This issue has had some discussion in many forms. As a government, we look at all the options and try to control our costs. To continue to deliver a program or programs for the federal government that we are losing money on, for example, the program for Indian Affairs we’ve spent $8.5 million more than we’re going to get back last year, so the amount that we’re losing is growing, that it’s not a sustainable kind of process and can we legitimately expect ourselves as a territory and our constituents to tighten their belts and have other programs cut because the federal...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are two main program areas that we administer programs on behalf of the federal government: the non-insured health benefits component, which is about $5.9 million a year, recently up to about $7.3 million or $7.4 million; and the big ticket item for us under DIAND is the health services to Indian and Inuit people. That’s one where we’ve been running an annual deficit, which is about $22 million. So we have had some relief from the federal government. They’ve acknowledged under NIHB that it is under-funded, so we have a commitment from them to up the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct. This is an issue that has to be moved to as many tables as possible. That is, in fact, what we are in the process of doing. As I indicated and the Premier has indicated in this House, health issues like this one are on our agenda. The role of the federal government, their lack of response, the fact that they only fund 16 percent down from I think it’s 18, way down from the 25 recommended by Romanow. We’ve talked about this with our territorial colleagues. We’ve met with the former Minister of Health collectively. The new Minister of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was a court case initiated in the past that got the federal government to the table and had some basic changes made. Since that time things have once again accumulated and we have, for example with the non-insured health benefits, the lack of recognition on the federal government’s part in terms of things like dental days, obsolete rates that they refuse to modernize, reflection of cost-of-living increases, population growth. There’s a whole number of fundamental issues that we constantly argue and debate with the federal government about and they’re...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member has raised a point that identifies a gap and it's not necessarily one that's going to cost a lot of money, but is more a point of providing the appropriate services the best way we can. Yes, I will raise this issue with the authorities and the department, and we will look at ways that we can get more organized in a formal, ongoing way in the area of cross-cultural training. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize some constituents and some others in the gallery. I would like to recognize Mr. Jack Poitras, the superintendent for MACA; Ms. Cec Heron from the Native Women’s; Marilyn Napier from MACA; His Worship Eddie Koyina from Rae; and, Alphonse Nitsiza, the Chair of the Dogrib Community Services Board. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, human resources offers cross-cultural training, as does the college. But as a department, we don't have a formal policy that directs cross-cultural training being a requirement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will commit to contact my colleague in Nunavut. As well, I will talk to the department about it and, as well, commit to discussing the issue in Cabinet to see what the possible broader implications may or may not be to the overall travel industry. Thank you.