Robert Bouchard

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement I spoke of seniors and trying to keep them as long as we can in their homes. My questions are for the Minister responsible for Seniors.

What systems does the GNWT have in place to link all those seniors’ issues? I had indicated in my Member’s statement that lots of the seniors’ issues are in different departments, so that is a question I have for the Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will not be supporting this motion. The department has given us the justification of why this position needs to be a lawyer and the clause opens us up to potential difficulties in hiring this position. When we’re looking to hire the position there may be opportunities, if there are no lawyers, that the people with lesser qualifications could fulfill this position, but in essence, the department has indicated that there are legal issues that this position does and is responsible for. Then if we don’t have a lawyer in that position, there will be additional costs to the...

As I have indicated, many seniors are struggling to keep up to these increased costs, and some believe that they’re in a situation of poverty. Is the department looking at adding any new incentives for seniors to keep them off the demand of our facilities, which we know is going to be increasing over the next few years? Is there anything that the government is doing to implement new programs for seniors to stay in their homes?

That collaboration is something I would like to see go forward as much as possible. I am looking to see what the Minister and the departments are doing to deal with the increased costs associated with staying in their own homes. Have they looked at what the CPI is and are some of our funding programs tied to that type of increase? Because from my understanding, some of those increases haven’t been seen over many years.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you know, in the North we have a lot of respect for our seniors and elders, but in Hay River I often get the opportunity to visit with a lot of seniors and many of them live in their own homes. They are proud that they live in their own homes; however, the increasing cost of living in those homes is making it more and more difficult to stay there. Some are considering moving south, which I think is shameful. I think we need to keep all Northerners in the North. Some are looking to sell their homes and apply for seniors housing and to use seniors facilities.

I have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, November 5, 2012, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that the following persons be recommended to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories for appointment as members of the Human Rights Adjudication Panel, effective November 5, 2012, and for a term of four years:

Mr. Lou Sebert of Fort Smith; and

Mr. Sheldon Toner of Yellowknife.

I’d like to ask the Minister if he would commit to looking into the funding of lap bands surgery to help those people who are morbidly obese.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my Member’s statement, we do have a situation in the Northwest Territories with a lot of people who are heavily overweight, and my question to the Minister of Health is: What current programs are available to people that are looking to assist themselves in losing weight?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to also see if the Minister would commit to looking into setting up criteria of who is eligible, along with a complete weight loss program similar to other jurisdictions such as he indicated, in Alberta. Can we have a matching type of program that will assist our people in the Northwest Territories to have healthy living?

I was part of that program and the Alberta program and their demand is very high. I think they have kind of limited the amount of use that we have on their program. I’d like to ask the Minister, has the Department of Health in the past funded weight loss programs such as lap bands or gastric bypass programs?