David Krutko

I just have a question for the Minister, maybe she can provide the information. Can you give me the information on how many northern aboriginal people are working in the health care system when it comes to long-term care facilities in the Northwest Territories and what are those statistics, since you keep saying that we have not been able to fill all these jobs? How many long-term Northerners and aboriginal caregivers do we have in the long-term care facilities in the Northwest Territories to date? Broken down by each community or facility.

Next on the list I have Ms. Bisaro.

Minister of Health, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I, too, have a similar question in regards to the Minister and just looking at the statistics that we see from the department. In the Inuvik region, based on 2006 statistics, people over the age of 70, there are 250 individuals identified in 2006. Again, I think these numbers are a little low, from the information that I have been pulling together. I have tabled information in the Legislature in the last sitting in regards to the information that was pulled together from Fort McPherson, which identified some 122 individuals over the age of 60 and 86 people over the age...

Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Minister. Welcome, witness. General comments, Department of Health and Social Services. General comments. What is the wish of the committee? Detail? Begin on page 6-2 in regard to department summary. We’ll move to page 6-4. Activity summary, program delivery support, infrastructure investment summary, no dollars. Agreed?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The information that I’m talking off of was information that was provided on the particular line item which is before us, which is the Norman Wells Health Centre and long-term care facility, which basically clearly stipulates that long-term care facility was going to be to replace the Joe Greenland Centre from the information that we received in the briefing that was given to us. So that documentation is the department’s documentation and it is dealing with that particular capital item that is presently before us. Thank you.

Minister of Health, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think that we do have to seriously look at the capital investment in this portfolio, especially in the area of tourism and parks. I think that, if anything, we, as government, have basically let this department down by the lack of capital investment that we put into the area of tourism and parks, especially for the Northwest Territories when we look at the economic sector when it comes to tourism and the increased amount of road traffic we’re seeing. We have more tourists and on the Dempster Highway we’re seeing more and more RVs coming up the Dempster from Whitehorse...

Does committee agree that the Minister brings in witnesses?