Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Health and Social Services today. We over the years have asked many times for the Department of Health to review supplementary health benefits to see if something could be done for those folks that are working but do not receive coverage or benefits from any other source. I’m referring to mostly families who work for the private sector and don’t have employee sponsored insurance programs and we thought that was a good thing.

The Supplementary Health Benefits Program was reviewed. Little did we know that inadvertently there would be...

Thank you. I, too, would like to speak to the proposed and ill-conceived changes to the Supplementary Health Benefits Program here in the Northwest Territories.

Probably in my 13 years as MLA this is the most public feedback I’ve received on something the government proposed to do. I do appreciate the Minister’s statement today, that in fact the government is willing to put this on hold -- the implementation -- and look at revising these changes so that they will be more thought out and will close those gaps as the Health Minister referred to them.

As my colleague Ms. Bisaro said, the problems...

Thank you. I give notice that on Friday, February the 6th, 2009, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that pursuant to subsection 61(2) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, this Assembly formally revokes the pleasure of the Assembly from the appointments of the Premier and all Members of the Executive Council effective February 9, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. MST;

And further, that this Assembly recommends that a Premier and Executive Council be chosen without delay and that the Commissioner be notified of the...

It’s interesting to hear that this was not a cost saving. Here’s my question: How many seniors in the Northwest Territories over the age of 60 years who are not covered by any other health insurance does this change and policy going to affect? How many seniors in total?

That is the kind of comment that I was referring to in my Member’s statement. When we keep hearing from the Minister of Health and this government that those who can pay should pay, but the fact of the matter is that for many, many years this government has provided support to seniors living in the North, where it is more costly to live. There could not be a worse time to be taking this away from seniors. It’s costly to live here. Most are on fixed incomes.

I would like to ask the Minister, did anybody figure out how much money the government was going to save by implementing this? Was that...

Thank you. I give notice that on Friday, February the 6th, 2009, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that pursuant to subsection 61(2) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, this Assembly formally revokes the pleasure of the Assembly from the appointments of the Premier and all Members of the Executive Council effective February 9, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. MST;

And further, that this Assembly recommends that a Premier and Executive Council be chosen without delay and that the Commissioner be notified of the...

I’d like to recognize Mrs. Eileen Collins in the gallery today. She’s president of the Hay River Seniors’ Society and vice-president of the Northwest Territories Seniors’ Society and has worked tirelessly to articulate the concerns of Hay River seniors with respect to supplementary health benefits and many other projects she’s undertaken.

It’s interesting to hear that this was not a cost saving. Here’s my question: How many seniors in the Northwest Territories over the age of 60 years who are not covered by any other health insurance does this change and policy going to affect? How many seniors in total?

That is the kind of comment that I was referring to in my Member’s statement. When we keep hearing from the Minister of Health and this government that those who can pay should pay, but the fact of the matter is that for many, many years this government has provided support to seniors living in the North, where it is more costly to live. There could not be a worse time to be taking this away from seniors. It’s costly to live here. Most are on fixed incomes.

I would like to ask the Minister, did anybody figure out how much money the government was going to save by implementing this? Was that...

I’d like to recognize Mrs. Eileen Collins in the gallery today. She’s president of the Hay River Seniors’ Society and vice-president of the Northwest Territories Seniors’ Society and has worked tirelessly to articulate the concerns of Hay River seniors with respect to supplementary health benefits and many other projects she’s undertaken.