Norman Yakeleya

Mr. Speaker, I know that there are some things within the Health department that we certainly can do without in terms of putting some coverage to these people. There are children, there are families in the Northwest Territories, as we speak today, that do not have the basic health coverage that we in this room enjoy in terms of our own coverages. That’s the one I want to ask the Minister. What will it take for her to, by the end of this month or next month, say, yes, we will have coverage for those families who are the working poor, children, who do not have coverage?

Mr. Speaker, I grew up...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask my questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I spoke earlier in my Member’s statement that 2,300 people in the Northwest Territories are without health care coverage today. I want to ask the Minister if she’s, in her government, working on any type of information implementation plan so that they can get health coverage as soon as possible.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about the supplementary health benefits. I want the Members to imagine some of the basic health care coverage that we take for granted, that we continue to leave others out, unresolved, because we have not moved far during the three years that we have done this work.

Imagine that there are 2,300 Northerners who are not covered by any program to assist them with their costs for prescription drugs, eyeglasses and dental care today. Imagine that some of these people are at least able to afford coverage through a private insurance program. Imagine that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister advise this House as to the type of dollars that they will be required to provide to the lower income families without any health coverage? The department surely must have done some assessment as to what it’s going to cost this government to provide coverage for the people that don’t have coverage as we speak today.

I’ll look forward to the Minister’s answer in terms of an exact figure. If it’s around seven or eight million, I want to ask the Minister about the supplementary health benefits that we do provide for our people in the North. What’s the percentage of increase every year of this special program?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister in terms of what is preventing her from implementing the use of the non-insured health benefits rules right away for the various supplementary health benefits programs that we have made suggestions to. What’s preventing her from making these changes right away?

I want to ask the Minister about some families and children who are in the working poor who are today, as we speak right now today, in the last couple years do not have basic health care coverage. Again, I hear from the Minister that they’re working hard in this government to see what kind of coverage they can implement, but as each day that we sit here and talk, these families have to deal with this type of issue that they’re not covered like the rest of us are. I want to ask the Minister, can she and her government implement a plan as soon as possible to help those poor families in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize an elder from the Deline First Nation in the Sahtu region and also a member that worked with me very closely in the Sahtu region. I’d also like to recognize Chief Eddie Sangris from the Ndilo/Dettah First Nations

Just a comment. The peace officers, are they the ones that are sworn in such as bylaw officers in terms of their authority as a peace officer?

Mr. Speaker, I will certainly be happy to give those six names to the Minister. Also, there are other elders in the Sahtu who have already passed away and should have had support by this department to know that they can die an honourable death in their communities rather than come to Yellowknife and...(inaudible)...other facilities that passed away. This has put a lot of stress on the people in the Sahtu. I want to ask the Minister what is it that she needs to do to put extra support within her department, extra support within the communities to have palliative care support in the communities...