Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services further to my colleague's questions.
Is there a mechanism or a thought of the Department of Health and Social Services to work with other jurisdictions to create a cross-border agreement with other provinces and territories to ensure residents get care when they need -- when and where and can be transported home if needed? And this is looking at a new way to do business, to support our residents that may need emergency travel or emergency health care in other jurisdictions, if needed. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned previously, that NIHB is done differently in every region and what I -- what I mean differently is that even in Nunatsiavut, they have drawn down -- with their Indigenous government has drawn down the -- to implement the NIHB -- administer the administration. So even in -- and I raised this even with Newfoundland health Minister that they don't even deal with it because it's dealt with their Indigenous government. So every jurisdiction is different. BC has a First Nation health, and that's who administers, and so if you're Inuit in BC, you have to go through another jurisdiction because they don't -- you know, so there's so much complexity because it's a federal program that it relies on people having to just access it through the federal jurisdiction in Ottawa, or they can -- if their province or territory has drawn it down, that they access it through their province first.
So when our residents leave the Northwest Territories, you know, we administer it, so we take care of all of the stuff in the background. When they leave the territory, they have to do all of the coordinating themselves because we don't coordinate with that. So I can flag that for the Minister of ISC as to how it's being done across Canada and how it impacts our residents when I do get a chance to meet with them. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given that, you know, we know every jurisdiction is different and doing business a different way and a new way is different too. So will the Minister consider this looking at doing it a little different, being the voice for the North, and creating something different that might work for the residents of the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm not wanting to paraphrase but I've heard from enough people through -- since being the Minister that one of the issues is people do leave. Some people -- you know, maybe they don't -- they can't afford or they don't know and they don't get the travel insurance, and they get sick. I can raise this with the Minister of Indigenous Service Canada who this program falls under, but as of the Northwest Territories, this program is funded by them so we administer what we negotiate with them, so I can add this as something that could be looked at, but I can't commit that this would be something that they would do at this time. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
