Norman Yakeleya

I’m glad the Minister said all of the report there. I’d also like to see if we know if it’s possible before we leave. I’m not too sure what the officials would, but he’s the Minister and he could make it happen. So I look forward to his leadership on having this report come to this side so we can see it in the near future. I want to thank the Minister on that process we’re going to be going through.

I want to also ask the Minister, in regard to the infrastructure, I’m glad that we’re talking about the $28 million. The price of doing business in the communities further north and in the smaller...

Thanks for the clarification, Mr. Minister. I appreciate that. Now with the emphasis maybe being looked at with the operations and maintenance funding, that is a real concern. I’m glad that the issue’s been picked up on. I’ve seen and talked to many of the Sahtu communities and that seems to be an issue, now that these infrastructure assets are being transferred to the community. One of the things that they lack any type of support right off the bat is that the O and M is killing them, killing their budget. Talk to Tulita, to Colville Lake, Deline, even Norman Wells. Thank you, Mr. Dolynny...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the increasing concern of a dangerous superbug in the Northwest Territories. It reported in the Globe and Mail, October 13th, on Saturday, that this bug is probably one of the most dangerous superbugs that we can have here in the North. It had quadrupled in the Northwest Territories since 2007. This bug is mostly spread in hospitals, but now they’re starting to find it more in the smaller communities.

I want to ask the Minister of Health what he is doing to help the smaller communities who maybe do not know about this dangerous...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to congratulate all the elected councillors and mayors that just recently had their elections. I take my hat off to the people who put their names forward to serve their people.

The Premier talked about the year now that we’ve been elected, and we are elected by our people to fight for our people when we come to the capital in Yellowknife here to look at the conditions that we live in in our communities. We know the conditions because we come from these small communities.

When we come into a larger centre, we start to see some of the equalities that happen. We...

Given the situation that we are in the Northwest Territories and the limit of resources we have to combat this superbug, would the Minister consider, with all the colleagues, to look at radical change in housing situations? It is like putting a bandage type of solution on, because the root of the issue and the root cause… What is the root cause of this superbug?

One of the contributing factors is overcrowding in homes and children. Is it something that we really need to take a hard look at the housing in our communities and look at the overcrowding? Can the Minister commit that he will have...

The problem of Alberta attracts the community acquired MRSA disease, is this department tracking the community acquired… I know the Minister talked about the monitoring, but is he tracking it?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This deadly virus, this superbug, in the report in the Globe and Mail, penicillin and similar antibiotics no longer work on MRSA. Overcrowding is one of the contributing factors of this deadly disease. Now we are seeing that modern medicine is no longer going to be effective on getting rid of this superbug that we have in the Northwest Territories. Just hearing the Minister say that they are expecting a 44 percent increase on this, this is alarming. This is deadly. Other than antibiotics or penicillin not being the cure for this, how can we get rid of this? We have...

Since 2012, this year, there have been 142 cases so far. We’re pretty high, according to the people in southern Canada. It’s been noted that it’s quite dangerous. I want to ask the Minister, again, in regard to people who may show signs or symptoms of having this infectious superbug in them, what type of support or medication is given to these people other than letting them know that there’s an awareness campaign going on. What is it that they need to do to take care of themselves?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to also recognize Jim and Celine Antoine and the family. I’d also like to recognize – I’m not too sure if she’s here – Doris Taniton, who was the Minister’s Cultural Award recipient of the youth. Also, Mr. Whitford, I’m always reminded of what things you have told me that you said that made a big difference in life. I also want to recognize Mr. Michael McLeod and his wife, Joyce. They told me some pretty good, happy stories, not like Mr. Hawkins. I would also like to recognize some good people in town: Lydia and some other people that I don’t see here. Thank...

Mr. Speaker, it is a pretty deadly disease here. It takes the young children, the infants. It can cause some serious infection in internal organs and up to the flesh eating disease. People have died from it.

In regard to the territory having only two oral antibiotics that work against the MRSA and doctors don’t want to over-prescribe them and allow the bacteria to build up resistance, why is that? What are we doing to prevent this over-prescription of antibiotics?