Mr. Speaker, in the small communities when someone has had a medical emergency, time spent reaching the health centre can be the difference between life and death. In Yellowknife, we often take ambulance for granted, but my constituents in Fort Resolution and Lutselk'e don't have access to any dedicated emergency medical transportation, and that puts lives at risk.
Emergency medical transportation is essential no matter the size of the community, even if the health centre is nearby. That short distance means little. It is no safe way to rush someone in a critical condition to the care they need. While the RCMP can offer help, they may not always be able to respond quickly, and asking the health centre staff to leave their facility as the last report is just not possible because they are not capable of treating patients outside their doors. Emergency medical responders are trained to handle these situations.
While the Department of Health and Social Services runs health centres, it does not provide emergency services like ambulance and paramedics. That responsibility falls to the communities but most, they do not have a tax base for funding to support those services.
Similar circumstances exist in the Yukon, but they already provide network and volunteer responders to maintain basic emergency medical services in the community supported by essential infrastructure and proper training. This demonstrates that with innovation and collaboration, community-led solutions can overcome limited resources and deliver effective emergency care. Living in small communities shouldn't mean accepting unequal access to essential services. Community leaders and frontline workers are ready to save lives by building these services together with their partners in the territorial government. Now the time is to act, and I will have questions for the Minister of the Municipal and Community Affairs at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member from Range Lake.
