Kevin O'Reilly

I think every single session I have been here, I keep raising these issues and concerns. I just don't seem to be getting anywhere with my Cabinet colleagues. I have tried to suggest a number of constructive ways of improving this working relationship. Can the Minister commit to regular reporting on meetings held between GNWT Ministers and federal Ministers and the tracking of results, for example, the kind of statement that the Minister made today?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I wanted to ask, I believe I heard the deputy minister talk about switching to an Alberta formulary, so I just want to get a little bit more detail about what would we be switching from and whether it's going to leave any of our residents short in any way if they're not covered by personal plans or insurance and so on. Just a little bit of explanation would be helpful. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. The Process Convention on Communication states:

Except under extraordinary circumstances, Members of the Legislative Assembly should be made aware of and have opportunity to discuss significant announcements, changes, consultations, or initiatives before they are released to the public or introduced in the Legislative Assembly.

Would the Minister agree that there is a need to improve communications and involvement with Regular MLAs when it comes to engagement with federal...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I was glad to hear the Minister mention NIHB. Can he just give us a bit of an update of where the negotiations are at in terms of changing that or updating it or whatever? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Regular MLAs have become accustomed to the lack of consultation around this government's engagement with the federal government. Examples of this include:

no consultation prior to signing the pan Canadian framework on climate change;

no input into the NWT position before signing off on a 10-year health accord that means less than the original offer;

no consultation on priorities taken to Ottawa during a week-long entire Cabinet visit on climate change priorities; and

very few meetings of Regular MLAs with federal Ministers during visits to the Northwest Territories...

Sorry. Thanks, Mr. Chair. So it sounds like the earliest there's actually going to be any funding made available is 2018-19, is that what I'm hearing? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Well, that is great to see that we are finally going to go out. Does he have a timeline, though, for this work? Like, this has been dragging on for years, so is there a timeline for these consultations? When is there going to be a report that comes out of the consultation, and then probably you have to develop an action plan, then it has to go to FMB for funding, like, this is just going to go on forever. Does the Minister actually have any particular timelines? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I would certainly encourage the Minister, whether he has the permission of his Cabinet colleagues or not, to continue to push for a national pharmacare program and work with provincial and territorial Ministers towards that. I know we had the federal Health Minister just here, and I hope he took that opportunity to talk with her about a national pharmacare program. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. What additional kinds of efficiencies could we see here if we had a national pharmacare program, and what are we doing about that? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Same page. One line down there is a reduction from 2016-17 to 2017-18 for pharmacy. Can the Minister or his officials explain the decrease there? Thanks, Mr. Chair.