Michael Nadli

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Standing Committee on Government Operations reviewed Bill 9, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2013-2014, on May 29, 2014.

Following the clause-by-clause review, a motion was carried to report to the Assembly that Bill 9 was ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.

This concludes the committee’s general comments on Bill 9. Individual Members may have comments or questions as we proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Minister for highlighting some of the possibilities. There’s hope.

The Minister has indicated the idea of repatriating some of our patients who live down south and possibly moving the extended care unit.

As the Minister leading the Department of Health and Social Services, what is his vision in terms of how it is that perhaps facilities designated for disabled persons could work, and how could industry and non-government organizations play a part in helping the government realize this dream of having a facility in the North for disabled persons...

Thank you. The five key areas of the action plan include employment, education, income, disability supports and housing. One of the problems that government seems to have once in a while is working in silos. We have, perhaps, one division in a department working in isolation from another division. An example right now is Health and Social Services. The Minister is stating the responsibility for public transportation for disabled persons is a responsibility of communities, basically MACA.

In these key areas, what interdepartmental activities are being undertaken to advance the quality of life...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. June 2nd to 8th is Disability Awareness Week in Canada. It continues the tradition of National Access Awareness Week, established in 1988, to promote better community access for people with disabilities.

The impetus behind these national campaigns was Rick Hanson’s Man in Motion world tour. A Canadian icon, Rick Hanson dreamt of creating an accessible and inclusive world and finding a cure for spinal cord injury. For 26 months he wheeled over 40,000 kilometres through 34 countries. He averaged 30,000 strokes a day, through tough terrain, harsh weather, illness and injury...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Standing Committee on Government Operations reviewed Bill 8, Write-off of Debts Act, 2013-2014, at a meeting on May 29, 2014. Following a clause-by-clause review, a motion was carried to report to the Assembly that Bill 8 was ready for consideration by Committee of the Whole.

This concludes the committee’s comments on Bill 8. Individual members may have comments or questions as we proceed.

Right now there has been discussion in terms of the Stanton Hospital updates. Within the hospital, we have an extended care unit, and unfortunately, there are some persons who live there because there is no other facility to house them.

I believe it’s time for a designated territorial facility that provides professional, state-of-the-art rehabilitation services for disabled persons in a warm and homelike environment.

Will the Minister commit to examining the feasibility of such a facility? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On the motion here, it’s asking the department to come up with a comprehensive action plan by June 30, 2014. Hopefully, we learned from experience, and first from the experiences are several efforts that were made to try and reform the children and family services in terms of its deliverance and the program and services itself, so this basically says that things should be done in a timely manner and that the department needs to move forward, and we look forward to at least a semblance of an action plan that will address the very fundamental concerns that the Auditor...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Within the process of reviewing the report of the Auditor General, we had an opportunity to come up with several recommendations. I had this opportunity myself, and committee members will be reading into the records, so I have motions one to six that I would like to read.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m rising to support the motion in terms of the intent and spirit. I realize that there are some details that need to be worked out, but I can imagine in terms of the intent and purpose of this motion is that the primary concern is our elders. If our elders are sick then they have to be brought to Yellowknife or Edmonton. Just the thought of them being alone, being unilingual, not able to communicate in another language. They have very specific dietary needs and preferences. Of course culture is always a big impediment in terms of understanding elders, especially First...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. What was really apparent in the Auditor General’s report was the disconnect between the central headquarters, or Health and Social Services, and the regional authorities. It came to the point there was a bunch of affected communities; call it zigzags in terms of reporting. In some respects, structures were working in isolation of themselves. So it’s an immediate thing that the department has to check in terms of accountability. Who is accountable at the end of the day in terms of the children and families that have to go through the system? So it’s essential that we...