Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I’d like to welcome Mr. Frank Pokiak, the chair of the Inuvialuit Game Council; and Mr. Larry Carpenter, chair of the Wildlife Management Advisory Council of the NWT. Thank you and welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to try to address an important and somewhat complicated issue. That is providing services to small and remote communities from our regional centres. Situations such as these are a result of fairly complicated charges but the same premise is simple.

When there are shortages, especially doctors, therapists, counsellors, and nurses, the first things that are cut are small and remote communities. This is wrong. According to the community leaders of Nunakput, every time there’s an expected shortage, we just accept it. They will get cut off of services for an...

But it still has to go to court, so if he could answer the question, yes or no, does it streamline evictions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m in favour of it, but the same lines as Mr. Beaulieu. Some of our communities there’s so much that has to be done before some money is put aside. There’s schools, there’s roads, there’s just basic youth facilities that are needed in the smaller communities and stuff that I’ll probably never see in my lifetime, but at the end of the day we’ve got to try to keep providing services to our youth and giving them what’s needed.

If the devolution deal goes through, within three years we’ll have some money to do some good for all of the Northwest Territories, but the money that...

The Minister said it himself that we’re not getting the services. Mr. Speaker, the policies when dealing with medical conditions and regular checkups are so vulnerable for our elders and our youth, especially for dental and elders for checkups, you know, causing cancer. In cases such as doctor and other staff shortages, the regular procedures should not apply. What is the government doing?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, Mr. Speaker, this is regarding services provided by the health centres in the small and remote communities. Mr. Speaker, has the government addressed any medical services professional staff shortages all across the Northwest Territories, not just in Nunakput, in the Beaufort-Delta, and what solutions are being implemented to try to fix the problem? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Like I said, this government needs to devote the resources to ensure that the problems such as administrative policies and procedures are not hindering our medical and administrative staff from providing the services that we desperately need in all of the communities; not just Yellowknife, not just Inuvik, but all.

I will have more questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Does this Act to Amend the Territorial Court Act streamline evictions?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know that the communities bear the brunt of all shortages across the territory when it comes to doctor shortages and nursing. What are the government plans? Is it possible to hire nurses in the communities for long term, and the second part of this is, the checkups are a big thing because they’re sending too many, like Mr. Menicoche said, we’re sending too many people home with just aspirin and they’re not being properly assessed. That scares a lot of people, Mr. Speaker. It’s not, first of all, but it should be taken care of. Is the Minister willing to try to...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Basically I’m happy to see this bill come forward, An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act. I’m in full support of it. The communities in our riding that do have cell service, it’s just good safety for the children in the communities that we represent. I’m in full support of the bill.