Kieron Testart

Mr. Speaker, I know the Minister's going to -- or the Minister for Education, Culture and Employment is actively going to be working on this immigration file when she goes to Ottawa. So there's another issue that's come up that hasn't been raised on the floor of the House to my knowledge, and that's from workers who are now expecting children, if they wait for the NTNP to reopen next year, some of them will go on maternity leave which may make them ineligible to apply, forcing them to wait another year to -- for access.

What is the Minister doing to ensure that expecting parents aren't excluded...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, many of these non-insured services are critical services. I believe the urology department at Stanton is non-funded. So what services are we -- well, let's just get into that.

What services might we lose or might cost people to use after this review is done? Could the Minister give people a heads up, because if they're getting free care right now and they turn around and start charging them, we're going to hear about it in this chamber. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a real privilege to have a former Premier in the chamber today, and it's a real privilege to represent that former Premier as my constituent in Range Lake. So thank you, Caroline Cochrane, for being here today with your partner Rory. It's always great to have eyes in this the gallery, and you are definitely a VIP. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Voltaire famously said, quote, "I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it." These immortal words are the crux of the matter of this debate, that being the speech of Members of this Assembly that is not subject to our rules of debate, nor the privileges we enjoy as parliamentarians.

Mr. Speaker, Members enjoy certain individual rights and privileges by virtue of being elected to this House. The privilege of freedom of speech in parliamentary proceedings is generally regarded as the most important of the privileges enjoyed by Members...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, almost every week since I hit the campaign trail in 2023, I have heard from frontline workers that our healthcare system is crumbling from the weight of inaction. I want to share one of those stories today that left me with a profound sense of urgency.

Last weekend, I received an email from a physician who had spent seven hours in the emergency room, not as an attending doctor but as a patient. Their child was suffering from a laceration and there was only one doctor on shift, leading to treatment delays in an already overworked and overwhelmed emergency...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot going on but there there's a lot of -- but what's going on is a system of health care that's failing people. We hear it every day. So, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister -- can the Minister tell us what steps the public administrator is taking to guarantee that the emergency room does not close? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, so we have a work plan for the public administrator for NTHSSA. We don't have an action plan. He says he's going to bring forward something in the fall. Can the Minister give us a sneak preview of what that's going to look like, because people need action today, and they can't wait any longer. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't know if I can tell the people experiencing this issue that an exploration is going on and that will be sufficient. So what does exploring mean in real terms to people with real lives who are experiencing this situation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister for clarifying some of these points. The problem is when the work plan says as applicable, that's a very big window, and I think when people read that without that clarification. So will the Minister agree to update this work plan to make it clear that insured services will not be a fee-for-service in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the public administrator for NTHSSA's work plan, it tasks him to, quote, "work with NTHSSA and DHSS to find ways to increase and reduce expenditures within the health and social services system, including supporting the establishment of income assessment and fee collection structures as applicable."

I've had two people reach out to me today, constituents, who are concerned what this actually means. So can the Minister clarify, are we looking to recoup the costs of the health system on the back of patients and people who need health care in the Northwest...