Robert Hawkins

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge and appreciate the answer the Minister provided. Mr. Speaker, I know in an ideal world we’d be able to provide hot breakfasts to all our young folks and these types of programs. That’s why I’m trying to take a measured approach and possibly a program that we could provide and afford. Would the Minister ensure that in this nutritional food basket study that they’re planning to do, that this multivitamin concept gets a high priority of consideration? I’m not saying as in subject it to it has to come out as a high priority answer, but I want to make sure it gets...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to rise today to talk about a potential idea of how we can help improve the health of our children and youth in the Northwest Territories. I firmly believe that the empowerment of parents to ensure that a child is fed and taken care of properly is certainly on their shoulders and within their abilities, but I also believe the territorial government has a supporting role to help provide, focus and promote health delivery ideas to help feed children and youth of our Territory.

Mr. Speaker, today I’d like to discuss something I think could help these...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 8, written questions, on the order papers of today.

---Unanimous consent granted.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the faith that the Minister has that these people will be listening to Hansard, but just to ensure that they do get the message that this is an important issue that can deliver good things for our youth, would the Minister be willing to pen a letter to let this group know, that’s doing this review, that it is a priority of some people in this House and it could provide significant if not, certainly, substantial benefits for the health of our young people, noting the lack of nutritional items I noted in my Member’s statement? Would the Minister be willing to pen a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I raised the issue of the health of our young people and ways that we could improve that. Certainly I’d like to think of it as a way that we could develop a strategy over the next little while and certainly launch an ambitious plan that would be relatively cost effective but deliver great results, and that plan is coming up with a strategy for multivitamins for our youth and it could be implemented in such a way that day homes could access this, daycares and certainly provide it to our school districts so our young kids can have access to...

Mr. Speaker, the Minister quite often underrates her authority as Minister and I think she could be in charge on this particular problem. We are talking about medical travel that was approved. Regardless of how it got into the system, the fact is people start to depend on these both emotionally, physically, psychologically. These become major setbacks when all of a sudden one day you’re told your illness is no longer important for us to care about because it’s not on our list.

Mr. Speaker, in short, these are medically supported by doctors and even the Minister says exceptions can happen. So...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement today I talked about the insensitive Medical Travel Policy that is not responding to needs suggested by doctors for serious and necessary treatment. Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister of Health and Social Services is: will she investigate these denials for medical travel and medical support and see if we can grandfather these into the system until we have true, fair and honest treatment available here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to say on the record that I support the long-term vision of an independent college/university established here in the Northwest Territories and hopefully that the independence, what I’m referring to is a Yellowknife Campus. Mr. Chairman, I’m a little cautious that we would have a mass exodus out of the Northern United building, which at present the college in Yellowknife is located. I would caution, you know, both the department or any Member suggesting that we should jump out of that, only because we have to keep in mind what we’re doing. In that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The 2008-2009 annual report was the fifth report of the Human Rights Commission. The committee recognizes the effort and accomplishments of the commission.

The commission used a variety of methods to provide information on human rights to communities. An essay contest was held for students in grades 7 to 12. Students were asked to describe a role model who exemplifies the human rights principles of inclusivity, diversity, peace, and respect. Awards were given to both essay winners and role models. As well, 10 presentations and workshops were...

Mr. Chairman, I look forward to what solutions and considerations will come out of that. I think it would be a step forward and certainly an empowerment.

Mr. Chairman, on this section here, the last area I think at this time or, sorry, the second last area was student loans. Another colleague of mine, I believe Mr. Ramsay, has raised this issue before. I certainly agree with the issue. Under the student loans program, has the department ever contemplated building into a program that helps buy student loans back? What I mean by that is, if we are struggling in a particular area of staff...