Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The wish of the committee today is to deal with Tabled Document 75-16(5), Response to the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project on the Federal and Territorial Governments’ Interim Response to “Foundation for a Sustainable Northern Future.” Thank you.

I move that consideration of Tabled Document 99-16(5), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 5, 2009-2010, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 99-16(5) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill.

Anyway, my question for the Minister is: Just because we do not have the 2007 policy, the Minister will concur that it is not going to be status quo going forward. Correct?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following on the Minister of Health and Social Services ministerial statement today on the Supplementary Health Benefits Policy, I would like to add a few comments.

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to co-chair a joint working group made up of Cabinet Minister and Regular Members to look at this topic. This is something that has received a lot of public attention. Mr. Speaker, I think if I could characterize the Supp Health Policy as it was proposed, it comprised of some very good initiatives and some very good principles. Unfortunately, bundling them all together and...

Mr. Chairman, I move that we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee today would like to proceed with table documents 98, 99, 100 and 101, please. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m a little bit conflicted and confused by some of the dialogue that’s taken place in the House here today. I’m sure anybody listening in the public must be wondering, too, and kind of scratching their head. Here we’re heralding this big victory that we got for rescinding the 2007 policy. Mr. Speaker, people should make no mistake: this doesn’t mean that we’ve entered from having the 2007 Supplementary Health Policy, and now because we’re rescinding it we’ve entered into some kind of utopia, you know, some kind of Shangri-La on supplementary health care services...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you can see, we’ve chosen today, as a group of resident Members, to talk about housing, the delivery of housing in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, it is a daunting and big challenge to balance the interests of the people who need housing, with our policies, with trying to reward people who are diligent and who are trying their hardest, and those who sometimes are a frustration to the system, and perhaps even may I go as far as to say may abuse the good heartedness and the good policies of this government. It is trying to find that balance of rewarding the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll speak in favour of this motion as well.

Again, this suggestion is something that may result in reduced revenues for the housing authorities through the rents that they collect; however, Mr. Speaker, I think that there is a lot of merit to this transitioning idea. I mean, some people could say, well, if you have a three-month transition period, then people will work for three months and then they’ll quit their job. I mean, we can take this to any extreme you want. You know, the fact of the matter is that if people get a good job or a reasonable job that they like...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Savanna McKay-Larocque. I am happy to see she’s in the Social Work Program, following in the footsteps of two of her aunties who have been long-time social workers, Terry McPherson and Anne Gill in Hay River. It’s good to see Savanna here today. I also recognize Donna McLean, who is currently the manager of the Hay River Housing Authority but has worked for the Housing Authority for so long I actually can’t remember a time when she didn’t work for them. She is a very long-time employee of the Housing Authority. She was in charge before she was even...