David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the last two years, one of the criticisms that was levelled at the department was the fact that it was hard for information data, research to get into the hands of Members so we could make informed decisions. As this moves forward, maybe the Minister could comment on how sure she is that she has the ability inside of the Department of Health and Social Services to actually get the information that is relative, that’s relevant, that is going to be required for decisions to be made as we move this forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’m just wondering why sometimes it might take two years for the Minister and the Cabinet to realize it is a consensus government. It took two years of work by all Members of this House to turn this policy around. It took outrage by the public to get this policy turned around. Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, it took two years.

I’d like to ask the Minister, maybe she could comment on that. Why did it take two years for the current Cabinet to make the right call on this policy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize all the visitors in the gallery today. I, too, would like to join my colleague Mr. Abernethy in welcoming Mr. Blake Lyons, a former colleague at Yellowknife City Council and mentor of mine when I was a much younger man. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Maybe I could get the Minister to make reservations for dinner for him and I sometime. I’ve got a number of things that immediately come to mind when we’re talking about health and social services and ways that things could be improved upon. I would never say that we should be pulling millions of dollars out of the system. My belief is we have to be putting more money into the system. We have to be budgeting accordingly. That I believe fully in.

I also believe, like my colleagues, that I would stack our system up against any system in the country. That’s not really the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to follow up on my colleague Ms. Bisaro’s questions. Again, we have a supplementary appropriation before the House where we continue to pour money into an issue and a situation that we know exists. We‘ve been talking about this for I don’t know how long. The program review office was to have a look at it, review it. We need to get a handle on this medical travel issue and if we’re not funding it appropriately, then we’ve got to tell ourselves that and start finding the money to fund it appropriately.

I agree with Ms. Bisaro; there’s no accountability when...

To my knowledge, I sat through the business planning process that we just had, and I know the main estimates will come before the House in February, but to my recollection, we didn’t have a discussion on establishing these five new positions, but I might be mistaken. Maybe if I could get that clarified by the Minister. Was that part of the discussions during our deliberations of the Housing Corporation’s business plans? Because I don’t recall seeing the five new positions for the administration of the PHRS in those plans. I might be mistaken. My memory might be failing me, but I don’t recall...

The money that would appear here for the establishment of those five positions, if you divide that by five it’s about $43,000, $44,000. I’m just wondering why it’s not more money if you’re establishing five positions. It should be much more than...probably twice as much as what appears here. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, November 1, 2010, I’ll move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that Tabled Document 103-16(5), Government of the Northwest Territories Contracts Over $5,000 Report, Year-to-Date of the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2010, be referred to Committee of the Whole for consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to have faith that the Minister and Cabinet can get this done by the end of the life of this current government. I’d like to ask the Minister how she intends to accomplish this feat in 10 months. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions today for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Obviously there was much anticipation on her Minister’s statement from earlier today. I’d like to begin by asking the Minister, obviously she’s been getting a lot of questions about the advancement of this 2007 policy up until today and the decision that Cabinet has made to rescind that policy. I’d like to ask her, in going forward, how exactly is she going to engage Regular Members on any of the proposed changes and the implementation of those changes, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.