Robert Villeneuve

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As far as I know, the employees did get locked out prior to their strike deadline that was issued to the employer. Can the Minister’s department do more than just monitor at this point in time? Of course, time is of the essence in this whole issue. We have people who want to come home and want to get treatment here in the NWT by people that they know and have received treatment from in the past, I am sure. What can the department offer besides just monitoring? Can we provide some mentoring, perhaps, Mr. Speaker; anything besides just sitting back and monitoring...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My question again is to the Minister responsible for Human Resources, the Honourable Floyd Roland just about with the Nats'ejee K'eh clients. I guess Health pays the bill. Just with the government having notification of the lockout prior to it actually coming through, but efforts were taken to notify the clients and their families of the move to ensure that as little as possible interruption of their treatment would happen. What efforts were made to notify families and clients that they would be moving south? Were they given advance notice? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee recommends that mandatory orientation and training be implemented for all new Workers’ Compensation Board employees before they are allowed to engage clients. The committee further recommends ongoing professional development be programmed for each employee, manager, executive and member of the Governance Council and Appeals Tribunal and documented and reported annually as a key component of performance measurement. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me ask the Minister if the added cost that the GNWT or the Department of Health is incurring because we have to send these clients down south, is that cost over and above what we are providing in terms of what contracts are in place to the treatment centre today? If they are, why doesn’t the government just provide that additional funding to the centre so they can meet the terms and conditions that maybe some of the employees are demanding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ironically enough, from October 29th to November 4th is Canada Career Week. You find the work you love and build a life you want, and here we have a gallery full of 22 people that obviously found the work they love and are building a life that they want and a lot of northerners want their clients to have. They are here today dealing with this lockout. What assurances can the Minister provide to the current clients that are down south, and their families, that they will again have access to treatment here in the NWT in the near future? When might that be? Thank you...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today is a sad day for me and many Dene people in and around Yellowknife, especially for Deninu Kue constituents and a lot of people from Detah. Mr. Speaker, this morning I just attended the funeral of the late Ms. Helen Toby. Ms. Toby was a very well-respected Dene elder who lived in Detah and she passed away after a long battle with cancer. I just want to send out my sincere condolences from everyone here in the Legislative Assembly to all the family, friends and relatives and the many, many, many friends of Helen Toby. Our prayers go out to them all.

Mr...

Fine. That clarifies my concern.

Okay, and that's in the stats that we have today. That's the historical stats, I guess. I guess in your professional opinion, how much more attractive would it be for corporations to file their taxes in the NWT and making this change?

Fine, thank you. I just wanted to make sure people know that.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to ask -- probably the Minister of Health, I guess, could answer this -- section 1 of the Medical Care Act, does that include everybody who receives medical services in the NWT, insured or non-insured, non-residential, whoever? Thank you.