Sandy Lee

Mr. Speaker, I first of all would like to assure the Member that Health and Social Services and the government are pointing millions of dollars into the Sahtu region. I do appreciate that there are no substantial capital projects on the books for the Sahtu region. I’d be happy to see a needs study or an assessment of the region to see what their capital needs are and work through the new capital planning process with the Member.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On behalf of the government and as the Minister of Health and Social Services I would like to speak briefly in favour of this private Member’s public bill, Bill 19, Donation of Food Act. The proposed bill would exempt the donor, including individuals and businesses, from liability when donating food provided that the donor does not intend to injure and is not reckless. The bill does not apply to a person who distributes donated food for profit.

Mr. Chairman, the current Public Health Act regulates the safety and sanitary handling and preparation of food, but it is not...

As the Member is aware, the dementia centre was debated and fought on in this House for about eight years. I am willing to make the commitment to the Member that I will look at what’s in the books or not for the Sahtu region and that we will work to make sure that our O&M and capital budget is spent equitably. I have also made a commitment in this House that I will review programs and services for small communities with the objective to enhance what we can do and to work on empowering and building capacity in small communities and how we deliver our health and social services programs in our...

Mr. Speaker, I have not had a chance to actually go and see the facility and meet the Sahtu authority staff and leaders. I want to do that. I have not had a chance to do that as the Minister. Also, right now I don’t have the information on what their needs are. In order for us to work toward capital planning and capital projects for Sahtu, we need to initiate that process. I’m making a commitment to the Member that I will look into that and work with the Member on that.

Mr. Speaker, today we begin Foster Family Appreciation Week. This is the week each year that we take time to celebrate the important contribution that foster families make in the lives of children.

Foster families open their homes to children and youth, providing them with stability, guidance and nurturing. They are people who find the time and energy to give a child a home, to give a child a chance and to give a child a place where they can be a child. They are there to help, to offer words of encouragement, to provide the care and attention needed by all children.

These families are important...

Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate the Member’s concern. It is one of the issues I am working on: how to bring the control and the…. I do agree with the Member that the best solutions in healing and grieving and wellness are to be found in communities. I do agree with the Member that we need to revisit the way we are doing that. I’m willing to do that, and I’m willing to work on the proposal and present that to the Members and the Standing Committee on Social Programs.

The problem has never been with the local dentists. Obviously, the dentists would be happy if the government provided a service and facility to provide their services. That is not really the issue. The issue is putting the burden on…. I understand that this is a huge issue for parents with children who need to have dental surgery. What we need to remember is that health care costs are under pressure. We can’t do everything for everybody. And when we have limited dollars, we have do what we are required to do by our health insurance program. Dental surgery is not one of them. We as a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not able to commit to having this program be established at Stanton for the reasons that I’ve indicated earlier. It’s the Stanton authority that feels that given all the demands of the services that they have to provide…. They have to provide insured services first; they have to be able to provide surgeries and other procedures that Stanton has to deliver that other hospitals in the Territories cannot. So that is their first priority.

But I am willing to make a commitment to the Member that I will revisit this issue, including the one day every eight weeks that...

Yes, I’m willing to make a commitment to come up with a proposal. I have to work out the details with the department. I have not had a chance to do that. I will make the commitment to come up with a proposal to discuss with the community to see how that facility can be used better.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Member’s question, as well as commitment, on this issue. As I have indicated already, we have been able to provide additional programming at the Great Elders Facility in terms of facilitating seniors to use that facility more in day programs. I know that the Member and the community are looking for an opportunity for the seniors to be able to stay there and be taken care of.

I want to give the Member a commitment that I am interested in working with the Member on that and working on a wider proposal to go to the Standing Committee on Social Programs to...