Bob Bromley

I have other beliefs on what the cost of the system will be and I think the Minister is aware of those. The current system provides equal coverage, full coverage to both Metis, seniors and non-aboriginal seniors. Under the new proposals, I’ve heard from the Minister that will no longer be so. In fact, we will no longer give full coverage to non-aboriginal seniors. Can the Minister explain to me how that can possibly be seen as not being divisive, a racially divisive policy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, there’s quite a disagreement both from the public and the Members here on the Minister’s perspectives on this. The Minister continually refers that we follow a system that’s a commonly used model in other parts of the country and so on. We’re not interested in that. We want to develop a specific system for the North.

Mr. Speaker, when I asked whether an analysis of the cost of administration had been made, the Minister replied, according to Hansard, “we will be going for RFP to find a service provider such as Blue Cross or any other insurance company. They are...

Thank you. Again the Minister has refused to answer the question. Why did she not respond favourably to the stakeholders panel she put together for inclusion of the Pharmaceutical Association? I also understand now about the five-day notice the department had to participate the in the Pharmaceutical Association’s AGM. The association actually invited the department quite early on in a timely way, but the department was very slow to reply. By the time the reply was received by the association office, only five days remained for the by then scheduled AGM, apparently a time too short for the...

Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to welcome my mother, Barbara Bromley, to the House, and her lifelong friend, of course, Ruth Spence. I would also like to recognize David Gilday, a resident of Weledeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health says the intent of her supplementary health proposals is to address the issue of affordability. In fact, the reverse is true. Look at the $50,000 threshold. Remember, this is the net income threshold and not the after-tax income. After taxes, a $50,000 net income shrinks to $40,000 or $42,000. Someone buying their own drugs for catastrophic issues could easily spend the 25 percent required, or $12,500. That means their real income after taxes and drugs would plummet to under $35,000. This is before any basic needs are covered. That’s...

I would like to call Committee of the Whole to order. We have before us today Tabled Document 4-16(5), Tabled Document 30-16(5) and Tabled Document 38-16(5). What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Speaker, I’ll just remind the Minister that our Elders Parliament was clear on that question and I refer her to their sage insights on that issue. I’d like to ask what input from the Minister’s stakeholder panel did she include in the current proposals. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I’d like to start by asking the Minister what is the cost of administering the current supplementary health system and what’s the anticipated cost of the new system under the Minister’s current proposal? Can she compare and contrast those costs for me? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will speak more on what those costs were and, of course, the lack of progress we’ll be able to make on reducing our costs, given the complexity of what the Minister is currently proposing. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to have from my last question, how are we encouraging Metis and non-aboriginal residents to get and maintain third-party supplementary health insurance? It’s a pretty straightforward question and I don’t think it was answered when my colleagues asked that question. If we don’t currently have the answer to this, which I assume to be the case, not having received...

Thank you. Last fall the Minister announced the launch of the new website, the recruitment and retention website, hopefully to overcome some of these chronic problems of staffing our professional and specialist vacancies. So I’m wondering what monitoring is being done, what the results are. Can the Minister tell me what progress is being made as a result of that and whatever other efforts the department is taking to decrease our vacancies in our medical staff and specialists? Thank you.