Norman Yakeleya

I want to ask the Minister about some families and children who are in the working poor who are today, as we speak right now today, in the last couple years do not have basic health care coverage. Again, I hear from the Minister that they’re working hard in this government to see what kind of coverage they can implement, but as each day that we sit here and talk, these families have to deal with this type of issue that they’re not covered like the rest of us are. I want to ask the Minister, can she and her government implement a plan as soon as possible to help those poor families in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize an elder from the Deline First Nation in the Sahtu region and also a member that worked with me very closely in the Sahtu region. I’d also like to recognize Chief Eddie Sangris from the Ndilo/Dettah First Nations

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, November 4, 2010, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends that the Premier immediately commence a public consultation process, in partnership with the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, to determine the shape of a northern management regime for lands and resources;

And further, that recommendations on the proposed implementation of this regime be included in transition documents and planning for the 17th Legislative...

Okay, so that looks like we’ve got a couple of million every year to support this program and to support the benefits of this program for people in the North. I want to ask the Minister about the sustainability of this program on a yearly basis in regard to some of the needs in the smaller communities and some of the basic access to health care. It seems like we’re going through crunching time. How much can we sustain and continue on with this program? Can the Minister answer that?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services how much it costs her department to provide the supplementary health benefits to residents in the North.

Mr. Speaker, I know that there are some things within the Health department that we certainly can do without in terms of putting some coverage to these people. There are children, there are families in the Northwest Territories, as we speak today, that do not have the basic health coverage that we in this room enjoy in terms of our own coverages. That’s the one I want to ask the Minister. What will it take for her to, by the end of this month or next month, say, yes, we will have coverage for those families who are the working poor, children, who do not have coverage?

Mr. Speaker, I grew up...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask my questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I spoke earlier in my Member’s statement that 2,300 people in the Northwest Territories are without health care coverage today. I want to ask the Minister if she’s, in her government, working on any type of information implementation plan so that they can get health coverage as soon as possible.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about the supplementary health benefits. I want the Members to imagine some of the basic health care coverage that we take for granted, that we continue to leave others out, unresolved, because we have not moved far during the three years that we have done this work.

Imagine that there are 2,300 Northerners who are not covered by any program to assist them with their costs for prescription drugs, eyeglasses and dental care today. Imagine that some of these people are at least able to afford coverage through a private insurance program. Imagine that...

Certainly we want to enhance the resources and the support in the communities and certainly that is one of our goals. However, I want to ask the Minister: When can we reach that goal? What is it that she needs us to do in terms of going into the communities in the Sahtu, going into Deline and saying we have these dollars, here, we are going to help these families in need?

Right now there are six families that do need palliative care support. Right now we are not meeting them and soon we’re going to have these families make some tough decisions as to sending their families into Inuvik or...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke earlier about the elders and the passing of them. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, I know it’s been a wish of the elders prior to them passing, that a lot of them want to stay in their own communities and be laid to rest there. However, sometimes that’s not possible. I want to ask the Minister, in terms of helping with the families with the elders’ wishes, what type of palliative care do they have in the Sahtu region in terms of helping with the elders and their last days in their communities.