Robert Hawkins

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. I move that committee reports progress. Thank you.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With all due respect, I don’t think the Minister sees what I’m trying to get at, which is the fact that I agree that the public system is there to top up, I agree that the public system is to back up the person as the backstop, and I definitely agree that the public system is the safety net provided to all our citizens. My fear is that we’re leaving potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars or even up to millions of dollars over the course of a number of years that we’re not tapping into the third-party insurance that is legally mandated. I’m not asking her to make...

Then by saying that we all have to work together, does that then not instil the reality that someone could obtain a veto or what is the process therein? Thank you.

I appreciate the answer from the Minister. When I say this it is not directed at the Minister, it’s the problem. I want to say this can’t be actually taken lightly. People have to be well aware that we could actually be saving a lot of money out of the public purse if we considered this opportunity and in many cases a reality. Is there a policy within the Department of Health and Social Services that when somebody arrives at Stanton or any other health centres, one of the first questions in their information forms that they fill out is do you have third-party insurance that could cover these...

Mr. Chairman, does the Premier have the support of these northern leaders for this type of transfer? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m really glad to hear we have the policy office, because I suspect they never make a mistake so that’s why we have no appeal process. It’s sad to say that we don’t live in a perfect world, so I guess my question would be to the Minister, then, is what’s stopping us from setting up an appeal process if a person is denied medical travel so we don’t have to drag it to the Assembly floor time after time after time again and we can deal with it probably in a peer review process, especially when a lot of things are denied when they have medical letters supported by doctors’...

Thank you. I’ll certainly accept that.

The next phase is what work has been identified that’s stopping the transfer of these types of employees to the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister I believe last week, in response to one of my questions, said medical travel is under review. I’m just wondering what is specifically “under review.” We’ve even got a letter that had been sent not that long ago to our offices that said it’s being reviewed. So what type of review process is medical travel under at this time, and is the Medical Travel Policy posted for all who wish to see it on either a website or some type of government access? Thank you.

How many positions have been identified through this process that should, in our government’s view, rightly belong here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’ve explained that I believe this is where one of our serious problems lies. Would the Minister commit to this House to work with the Premier to make sure we get a letter off to Ottawa, whether it be the Prime Minister, one of the infrastructure Ministers, whether it’s the Finance Minister? Personally, I don’t really care who. The fact is we need to make sure we get a letter to one, if not all of them, explaining how important this project is to this Territory. Would the Minister make sure, loud and clear in this House, that he’ll commit that a letter of...