Wendy Bisaro

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 7 on the Order Paper.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a couple of comments here that I would like to make. In discussion at committee in consideration of this bill, I know one of the things that was a concern for me, and I think for a couple of other committee members, was that although this act is dealing with protections for electronic transactions and so on, it leaves a hole in terms of protection for our residents in terms of consumer protection. It’s something which I think other jurisdictions have dealt with through amendments to their consumer protection legislation, their consumer protection acts. One...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I would hope that when the Minister and the department evaluate these proposals that they look at the time frame that is being proposed at the time that they do that evaluation.

Can the Minister advise me and the House when we can expect the results of this review and analysis? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister, I think, for that answer. I appreciate that we have excellent facilities here for birthing, and it’s not so much that we have facilities we should cancel one program because we have another program that allows for a certain kind of birthing. There are also the advantages to be considered of a secondary birthing program, and one of them is financial. I think that certainly midwifery is a cheaper alternative to hospitals. I appreciate also that the Minister talks about areas that don’t have midwifery services or even birthing services. Absolutely, we should be expanding...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to express my great disappointment with the recent decision by the Minister of Health and Social Services to cancel the Midwifery Program in Yellowknife.

Two years ago at this time Members on this side of the House articulated concern for the long-term survival and sustainability of this program in Yellowknife, the NWT’s largest community. In the two years since, many Yellowknife families have been able to use the services of YK’s one and only midwife, but many have not. All reports have been positive. Mothers are very pleased both with the birthing options...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also rise in support of this motion. As the first whereas indicates, alcohol abuse, and I believe drug abuse as well, place a really heavy toll on our communities and on our people. I think that we don’t have enough infrastructures at this point to help our people deal with that problem.

We do have one treatment centre in Hay River and we’ve heard very often from Ministers of Health and Social Services that we have a treatment centre that people should be able to just go there and get the treatment that they need. That requires them to go out away from their community...

Thanks to the Minister. I would encourage the department and the Minister to get as broad representation from users and potential users of this kind of a program as possible.

I’d like to know from the Minister, if they’re going to a contractor to do this review and analysis, would the Minister and the department be open to a non-government organization putting in a proposal to do this review and analysis? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister for Health and Social Services, and I want to follow up on my statement about the cancellation of the Midwifery Program.

I recognize that cancellation may not be the correct word. The program was suspended, and it was suspended at the request of the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority, but that authority has never, ever been funded adequately for the Midwifery Program, and it has actually put them into a deficit, from what I understand. To my way of thinking, the Minister’s acceptance of Yellowknife Health and...

Thanks to the Minister. I am pleased to hear that I think the Minister said participation on the committee will still go forward. I do have to question, though, that this was a rather strong response to a situation in which employees felt uncomfortable. Certainly as Members, we’re often put in situations where we feel uncomfortable and we always have the opportunity to declare a conflict of interest. I think that could have been an appropriate response from these representatives.

Within many our communities there are interagency committees which meet and they include participation of GNWT staff...

Whether you like it or not, Yellowknife is a magnet community and, as such, provides for many Northerners who’ve moved here from their home community to access better services. The financial strain that that puts on Yellowknife must be recognized by this government.

Mr. Speaker, a community striving to improve itself for the benefit of its residents should not be penalized for their actions.

I will have questions for the Deputy Premier at the appropriate time. Thank you.