Glen Abernethy

That is not horrible news. It still doesn’t mean that what we are doing is the right thing. It is my understanding that, if they jump back in, it is based on age, so now they are going to spend a lot more money than they would have if they jumped in when they were originally encouraged not to. I understand what the Minister is saying is for GNWT staff. What about all the other staff? What about all the other staff? What about all the other staff from other employers who were encouraged to don’t bother taking the health insurance because don’t worry, the GNWT has got this great seniors’ program...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I finally heard what the real problem is. The Minister has been dodging this one for a long time I think. The problem is we as a government have been supporting ourselves to have people dump insurance. We have people telling people that are retiring, don’t get insurance because we will cover it. I know there are other employers that are out there saying, don’t get that insurance or don’t take our government insurance because if you don’t you can get full coverage by the GNWT. We have actually supported an environment where we are encouraging people to dump...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am listening, but I’m not really hearing any responses. So I’m just going to ask a related question slightly different.

Consistently the Minister talks about a program that is generous and equitable. Clearly, there are people excluded from this. Anybody with insurance in the Northwest Territories is excluded completely from any top-up. In some cases, most people, if costs aren’t high, that might be alright, except in some cases people do have catastrophic conditions where the costs are clearly high, and I think those numbers are larger than the Minister is accepting. I...

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know which public she was listening to. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize two residents of the Great Slave riding, Lena Petersen, a former Member of this House as well as a member of the Elders Parliament, and Mr. Todd Parsons, president of the UNW.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, rise today to speak about the supplementary health benefits. I want to talk specifically about the people that are demanding that we stop moving forward with this plan as it is currently outlined by the Minister of Health and Social Services.

On Tuesday there was a rally outside of this building where well over 100 people attended. There were young, there were old, there were healthy, there were sick, there was aboriginal and there were non-aboriginal, all calling for us to stop these changes to the supplementary health benefits.

I’ve also seen over the last...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS Tabled Document 38-16(5) has been tabled in this House;

AND WHEREAS Tabled Document 38-16(5), Supplementary Health Benefits - What We Heard, requires detailed consideration;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that Tabled Document 38-16(5), Supplementary Health Benefits - What We Heard, be referred to Committee of the Whole for consideration. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, May 17, 2010, I will move the following motion: now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that Tabled Document 38-16(5), Supplementary Health Benefits - What We Heard, be referred to Committee of the Whole for consideration.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition dealing with the matter of supplementary health benefits. Mr. Speaker, the petition contains 495 signatures of NWT residents and, Mr. Speaker, the petitioners request that access to supplementary health benefits be expanded and that incremental costs to support the expansion be funded through graduated territorial income tax. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister has already acknowledged that we, when people are retiring, have encouraged people not to take our insurance. I am curious what the Minister plans to do for those people that have taken our information in good faith and have declined the insurance provided by the GNWT because they were under the impression that they were going to get coverage as seniors basically for the rest of their lives in the Northwest Territories and today we turn around and we say we know we told you not to take the insurance, but tough luck. What are we going to do with those people, Mr...