Kevin A. Menicoche

The benefits of arts-enhancing policies are many. One of them, of course, is to provide revenues to our people as well as to stimulate our art and culture sector. That’s the reasoning behind that policy. I’m surprised that the government hasn’t done much work on this, and I thought they were.

I’d just like to ask the Minister how much work has been done to date. He said… I wasn’t quite sure of the answer there.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and colleagues.

One of the goals of the 16th Assembly is to create a diversified economy that provides all communities and regions with opportunities and choices. This priority specifically includes the arts sector.

There are many ways to improve the cost of living and reduce costs, and the other side is to provide income through sales of products. Such was the intent of this motion and the consequential arts enhancement policy.

Let’s put action to these words. Let’s integrate arts and crafts in the new Deh Cho complex and all government buildings and call it the...

I'd like to follow up on a Member’s statement I made last week on the health care card imbalance issue, where there are more health care cards in our system than there are people in the N.W.T. With the pressures to reduce costs, this area should be seriously examined.

I was very pleased, though, during my research, to hear that the Department of Health and Social Services and the Minister’s office were aware of this issue. I’m really interested to know what steps are being taken, to date, to address this situation.

Mahsi.

Just for the record, I think my research said there were 46,000 health care cards and 42,000 residents. Perhaps the Minister can clarify that if she’s got the numbers in front of her.

Of course, there are long-term and short-term residents here. It has always been felt that some received health cards because they had lived here for six months, got employment, and now reside somewhere else but still work in the mines. I don't know if the Minister’s office is able to reconcile that difference if they actually live here, like you said.

For the most part, some of it will be easy. Some living in my communities, like in Nahanni Butte and Jean Marie, are life-long residents. I think it would be easier to assess those. But determining the people that are not living here and if there...

Today I’d like to speak about prevention of head injuries in our youth. I had the opportunity to be home for the weekend, and while I was walking around there, Mr. Speaker, I noticed that we still have people ski-dooing around and pulling children around without proper head gear. My condolences, of course, go out to the family in Fort Smith at the beginning of this year with their child who had sustained a head injury in a similar event. And we’re still doing that in our communities. I’d like to urge this government to start looking at prevention of head injuries in the schools and with our...

I’d like to comment on the Sessional Statement in general. It says a lot about us, Mr. Chair, about facing the cutbacks and doing some reinvestments. We here at the Legislature are faced with these tough decisions. We’re going to work through them the best we can. But back home in the communities, the people are still kind of confused. They’re thinking of the $135 million cut today, so they’re scared for their jobs, basically.

I don’t think our government has done a good job of communicating. I know they’re doing the best they can. A lot the decisions for where we are today are fast-moving...

Is there an existing system right now, Mr. Speaker, wherein the department can track those people that actually are non-resident, or is there a way to determine how many people that are using our existing cards are not from here?

Absolutely, you will get lots of support. As well, the Member for Mackenzie Delta did mention that we'll be moving a motion in this sitting of the House to help direct the government in that direction. Once again, it is hurting our communities; it’s hurting our businesses. In fact, in one of my smaller communities, Wrigley, a store shut down in the fall because they couldn't sustain the O&M from power rates. That’s something that needs immediate attention. Once again, I ask the government to have a serious review and look at this important issue. Mahsi.

I want to lend support to the Member for Mackenzie Delta with respect to the one-rate zone. That's a topic that's near and dear to myself and all the people in Nahendeh. We've been struggling a lot in the last couple of years, particularly the residents and the businesses. I don't know if the government is going to include this in part of their evaluation of cost savings and assisting us with the cost of living.

I want to know, perhaps from the Minister of PUB, where they're at with evaluating the one-rate zone, or levelized rate zones, for the Northern residents.