Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following two documents entitled Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2011-2012, and Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2011-2012.

Some of that work is already being done or has been done at headquarters. It is an issue that I, as well, am familiar with. I do have recollections of dealing with it when I was Minister previously. I’ll commit to the Member that that information update is available.

The Member raised this specific issue with me a couple of days ago. I’ve asked the deputy minister to get me the information so that I could get updated on the file, but I believe the circumstances are very similar to what were there when I was last Minister and the Member and I were having this discussion.

I have no quick response that I can give the Member in this House today, unfortunately.

As we have this dialogue in the House, I have staff making note, and I will commit to the Member that we will have discussions with the Health and Social Services Authority in Simpson to look at some of the concerns and possibly follow up for further clarification from the Member so that we can look at the right areas and to give the appropriate response to the Member.

In fact, the Member has the chronology wrong. I had to deal with this issue, as well, with constituents and inform them of what was covered and what was not. I’d also point out that there’s also an expectation that when people leave the Northwest Territories to go anywhere, if they do not have third-party coverage and they require any kind of medevac services in Alberta or any other jurisdiction, that is fully their cost. It’s not covered by anybody, any government, this or any other. It is a situation where people should be very cognizant when they go, of what the risks are and what kind of...

There is a coordinated approach. There are these broad programs, mental health and addictions programs, and all the other programs that are flowed through the various health boards. Each health board then in turn delivers those programs at a community level with the resources they have available with some common standards. There is a significant amount of work that was done in how addictions workers were going to get paid and what type of job descriptions. Mental health workers, community health workers, wellness workers. We’ve invested a significant amount of money in this area, and I agree...

I’ve done a number of fiscal updates in this House and we’ve pointed out very clearly some of the challenges that we face. Today alone we’ve heard requests for potentially significant investments in emergency evacuations and assisting communities in situations like Northland, autism, addictions. We have a huge list of things that people want us to invest in and at the same time be fiscally responsible.

We have a budget that’s fully subscribed to. The Member is asking for an increase to a program at a time when such a consideration is not possible. This year if there is an interest, there will...

This is a complex issue and the Member has touched on a lot of issues. I agree that the program is flawed. It has shortcomings. We’re not in a position, since this is a federal program, to make changes to it. We can provide our concerns to the Minister. As Health Minister and having been Health Minister now for over five years, one of the messages that I’ve constantly made is that Northerners have to look after their diet, exercise, don’t smoke, and don’t drink. Those four things alone from the personal choices would have a great benefit to their health. The issue that the Member is talking...

The Member and I have served now in four Assemblies together. This issue has been a dominate theme in every one of those and I would suggest will continue to be a dominant theme in the 17th Assembly going forward. So we take the Member’s point and assure her that this issue will be there.

There are positive things we can do, many that don’t cost enormous amounts and aren’t requiring new technology, just simple decisions by people to make those choices and put in those gardens and such. Thank you.

The Member has to keep in mind that this is a federal program. It is an important program. There are concerns with it and I appreciate the Member’s concern, and we have the same concern that the savings that accrue to the retailers are not being passed on to the consumers. We still have a great interest in proper diet. Our whole focus on prevention, Get Active campaigns, proper nutrition to do with healthy eating, diabetes, all these other things are still critical pieces of the education that we can’t turn our back on. We have a small fiscal role with the funding from the federal government...