David Krutko

Mr. Chairman, for the sake of progress, I will agree to ask my question on the next page.

Ms. Meade.

The other area that I think we have to do more for by way of working with the aboriginal organizations that have established territorial parks and protected areas regardless if it’s the Gwich’in Territorial Park or the CANOL Trail. Again, those are areas that I think do have major economic potential and cultural potential, but more importantly, the ability to promote the regions and also the cultural and aboriginal groups that are basically represented in those parks and also build a sort of park management plan with them. I’d just like to know what we are doing to work with those aboriginal...

Agreed. Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witnesses in.

For the record, Ms. Lee, could you introduce your witnesses?

Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask the Minister what is the plan for the Joe Greenland Centre in light of this new information to establish these long-term care facilities elsewhere in the Northwest Territories. More importantly, what is the transitional plan in place for the residents of the Joe Greenland Centre? More importantly, the status of the employers, the individuals who work there so that we can give them some comfort that there will be a transitional period that they will transition out, that basically there will be more research and development done to really look at the potential...

Next I have Mr. Ramsay.

Maybe I’ll allow the Minister to get that information, but I think it’s sort of irregular to have ownership of a facility on one hand and then telling the communities that you can’t formulate these partnerships or leases for other facilities such as long-term care facilities in other communities. Yet you’re allowing it to happen here with the lease of a health centre in Behchoko. I think it’s something that has to be taken into consideration in light of what precedent is being used in this case.

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. Prior to the debate we agreed that we would begin with the Department of Health and Social Services. At this time I would to ask the Minister if she’ll be bringing in any witnesses.

I believe that you have to look at the economics of the Northwest Territories and see exactly the have and have-not communities. I think one thing that you can clearly illustrate in those statistics or information that’s out there, I think most of our communities we have employment that ranges from 12 to 13 percent of people that make a pretty decent income, and you know who those 12 to 13 percent are. Those are professional providers in our communities. It’s either the nurses, the teachers or the RCMP. That’s the makeup of the 10 or 13 percent of those jobs in our communities.

Now, you have 45...

Mr. Menicoche.