David Krutko

Yes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, colleagues. An issue that has come to my attention, especially for residents out of Inuvik and the Beaufort-Delta region, apparently they won’t have an orthodontist in Inuvik. Apparently there are a lot of children who require dental care, braces and whatnot. Without having an orthodontist in the region, a lot of them are having to expend a lot of their own dollars to fly their children to Yellowknife so that they can be seen by an orthodontist here in Yellowknife. As a department which is responsible for primary care, especially in the different regions...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The reason I am making this motion is, like I stated, this issue has come up year after year. It has come up at assemblies, it has come up in this House and I basically feel that this government has an obligation to provide secure services for communities. Among the essential services we depend on is health care and I think that we, as government, have to find ways of ensuring that those services are being provided fully, not part time or basically provided at random because of breakup and freeze-up.

I, for one, feel that this issue is almost touching on the grounds of...

It doesn’t seem like I am getting anywhere with this Minister, so I might as well just move a motion and get it over with and see where it is at. Mr. Chairman, I would like to move a motion.

The community of Tsiigehtchic appreciates what the Minister is providing. The community is requesting a full-time nurse in the community. That’s what they are requesting: full-time. Not six months, full-time. So that’s where I am coming from in regards to providing those services full-time in those communities.

Like I said, the community has done everything they can. They’ve purchased a housing unit so that they can’t use the excuse we don’t have housing for nurses in the community. They did that on their own. They’ve done that through their charter community. They are working to try to find...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that this committee strongly recommends the Department of Health and Social Services take immediate action to establish a permanent long-term care facility in the Hamlet of Fort McPherson. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to table the Order-in-Council which was passed in 1960 by, I think, Prime Minister Diefenbaker.

Communities do want to try to maintain their loved ones and their elders in their home communities as long as possible and hopefully live out their days in their home communities without having to leave. I think it is important that we do find a way to accommodate our elders and ensure that they are having some sort of special living arrangements and also looking at ways of accommodating them so they do stay in their home communities. So I think it is important that we do find a way to work around it. I know that you mentioned 40 beds. Is there any idea of where this facility may be located?

Again I’d like to ask the Minister if he can give us documentation before this House on exactly what decision was made. Finally, was the Cabinet directive given to make that decision?