David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a couple of questions here. I’m just wondering, a couple of years back we had talked about a campaign to curb alcohol abuse. As anybody knows, alcohol is the biggest problem that we have out there, the biggest social ill that we have. We had talked about the department coming up with a campaign much like the Don’t Be a Butthead campaign to try to target alcohol and the ravages that it has on our communities. I’m just wondering where that’s at in the department’s plans or if there’s any money in this budget for that type of campaign.

I guess it’s okay for the Minister to talk about the future, but I guess in our questions we can’t. I appreciate and understand that and I’ll move on to my next question.

I know my colleague Mr. Abernethy was talking about the incentives being taken away for community health nurses and I’d like to ask the Minister why aren’t we providing more incentives and encouraging northern residents to stay and live in the smaller communities. It’s got to be cheaper than locum nurses, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to ask the Minister why are we providing incentives and encouraging folks to get into that program...

Mr. Chairman, I don’t want to belabour the point here, but Wednesday, February 9, 2011, page 19 unedited Hansard quote from the Minister: “They wouldn’t be, I don’t think, ready to apply to a job that is available on the website right away.” Those are her direct words from Hansard on Wednesday. Again, I think that is offensive. It is offensive to individuals who spent four years, and we made it a four-year degree program. That is an offensive line.

Like I said, the Minister, at the very least, owes an apology to those grads, some of whom won’t need the Graduate Replacement Program. I am not...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to follow up with some of the questions my colleague Mr. Bromley had and I know Mr. Abernethy had earlier during this session. It gets back to graduating nurses and the possibility of them gaining employment in some of our smaller communities where services are desperately needed. I just wanted to get some assurances from the Minister that the Community Health Nursing Program is going to be maintained. The reason I say so is because in letters that graduating students this year in the Northern Nursing Program... They received a letter in January...

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. I’m going to have to wait then, I guess, to benefit the process. I’ll just hold my questions. I was going to follow up on some questions my colleague Mr. Bromley had, but I’ll hold off until the other page. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, if they’re waiting for parts, I’m just wondering how long has this been going on for. My understanding is it’s been three weeks that surgeries have been cancelled at that hospital and only emergency surgeries are being performed. I’d like to ask the Minister how long has this been going on. I will wait and ask another question after that. Thank you.

Just one other thing. I’m just wondering if we’ve ever given any consideration to taking the tax that’s derived from cigarettes and alcohol in the Territory and instead of putting it into general revenue, earmarking it for activities under prevention and promotion. Maybe we should be identifying those dollars and using them in the right way.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions today for the Minister of Health and Social Services, getting back to my Member’s statement where I talked about the status of the sterilization equipment located at Stanton Hospital. This equipment is used to sterilize surgical instruments for performance in the operating room. I’d like to ask the Minister, if I can begin by asking her what the current status of the sterilization equipment is that’s required to sterilize these instruments at that hospital.

Maybe could the Minister elaborate a little bit on what the stance of the department was in increasing alcohol and tobacco taxes and whether or not that might have a negative impact on families around the Northwest Territories? Because as I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, the people who are addicted to alcohol and tobacco are going to get their alcohol and tobacco no matter how much it costs, and the people who are going to pay the price are the kids in that home and the families in the small communities who are struggling to get by as it is. If you increase costs for alcohol and tobacco, I...

Could the Minister elaborate on that? Are we going to come up with a new campaign? What is the strategy that the department has to prevent alcohol abuse in the Northwest Territories? It’s a huge problem. What are we doing about it?