Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, October 29, 2009, I will move that Bill 3, Medical Profession Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, we are listening to the community leaders and communities. We agree that it is time to act and this is why we are doing a review. As well, Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned previously, I will be releasing the Foundation for Change Action Plan next week, which includes a number of actions related to mental health and addictions.

So, Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Member and I am listening. This is an area that we need to focus our energy on and work hard on, and I look forward to working with the Member to advance this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to report today that H1N1 clinics in the Northwest Territories have been successfully launched and that the H1N1 vaccine is now being administered to residents in the Northwest Territories.

In the short period of time since the vaccine was officially authorized by the Public Health Agency of Canada last Wednesday, over 2,500 NWT residents have already received their H1N1 shot.

Mr. Speaker, this is a testament to the success of our efforts, both to prepare for, and to communicate the important steps that we are taking to ensure that this vaccine is available...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Territorial Admissions Committee‘s objective is to make access to our existing long-term care units across the NWT fair and equitable, and we project to do that by having a standardized assessment process whereby all of the applicants and residents in need of a long-term care facility will be considered equally and fairly, so that not one region is banished in any way.

I would like to assure the Member that this will not in any way impact the creation of new facilities, because that’s a completely different capital process. This has to do with how we...

Mr. Speaker, there is no waiver for anyone to sign, and nobody has to take this vaccine unless there are questions that are answered. Mr. Speaker, I do have the ingredients in front of me. It says, split influenza virus, inactivated, containing antigen equivalent to 3.75 micrograms haemagglutinin/dose, Antigen A/California, Excipients: Thimerosal, 2.6 mcg mercury/dose; sodium chloride, disodium hydrogen phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, potassium. Mr. Speaker, my point being, if somebody was there to read this label, would that help people to decide whether they should take this? My...

The Public Health Agency of Canada has a website also about vaccine myths and it answers questions about that the vaccines don’t work, that there are many serious side effects from vaccines, that because the H1N1 flu vaccine is new it is untested and unsafe, myths that taking the regular flu shot could mean a risk of becoming very ill with H1N1, that another myth is the influenza vaccine can give you influenza, another myth is getting an influenza every year overwhelms and weakens the immune system and there is an answer to the question about the fact that the influenza vaccine contains...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Member for the question. Just before the House today I took the opportunity to go to the flu clinic at the multiplex and I was pleasantly surprised that there was actually a line-up of people before the clinic opened. Once I got there, the room was full of residents who were taking on this offer to vaccinate. I was joined by the chief public health officer, Dr. Kandola, and she brought her child, as well as the president of the Medical Association and Mr. Dolynny, the pharmacist. My point being that I think these are people who have a lot of...

That is not true. In fact, even on Cross-Country Canada Checkup where there was an expert being interviewed for two hours, he made it clear that this is an evolving process. He said even 24 hours ago he could not say the relationship between flu vaccine and this new vaccine, the interaction, in a way that he could now. Things are changing. But I can assure the Member -- and I don’t know exactly what he’s looking at in the Public Health Agency of Canada -- information is changing and the latest information, I can assure the Member because I was there when Dr. Butler-Jones and Dr. Kami Kandola...

As I indicated, liability is just one of the issues. For example, the Member just indicated we could just institute a flat fee. Well, even doing that we need to set out what is a flat fee, what is a reasonable rental fee, what vehicle are you allowed to rent.

I know that the constituent that the MLA is trying to assist, that particular assistant needs a wheelchair. So then what is the standardized flat fee for that rental vehicle? The additional issue is the fact that most of our residents may not be able to use this new provision if it was changed. What I want to say is that under NIHB and...

There are at least three things, Mr. Speaker, we are looking at. One is the liability issue. The second one is the fact that our NWT resident act says medical travel by many different ways. Some of them are covered by third-party insurance, like government employees. They are covered by a third party. NIHB receives the benefit in a different way than we have extended health benefits that go to seniors and those who make under $80,000. Those who make over $80,000 have different programs. It is often the case, whenever you look at these health issues, there are a lot more wrinkles to it. The...