Norman Yakeleya

That’s a long time. I don’t know if I’m going to be around that long, but at least it’s on the record. I guess it’s a done deal. We will have to bite the bullet on this one here. I’m not too sure what type of impact it’s going to have on some of our requests for health and social services care in the Northwest Territories. It’s one of those things where the federal government has the majority to sort of tell us what to do and it’s not the best of positions we want to be in, so I guess I will just have to leave my questions on that and, hopefully, in 18 years from now a Member will bring this...

Given that statement by the Minister, when the federal government downloads these responsibilities, does it also download some additional dollars, because we are taking on these additional responsibilities, even though when you look at the comparison of RCMP members in the Northwest Territories to the province of British Columbia, certainly, they will feel the impact more in their health care system as to the Northwest Territories.

Is the federal government willing, or it’s take it or leave it? No. It’s you’re going to do this, this is what it’s going to cost you, and find money within the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just for clarification, to the Minister, this act, I guess I thought that the medical services provided to the RCMP was straight across the board to all members across Canada, because of the jurisdiction and they are a national police force. Why are we changing ours to bring them into our Medical Care Act? Shouldn’t they automatically be covered under some federal legislation for their medical services?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have certainly known elders who have left the Sahtu and have come to me and said we have to pay for their tickets, because they don’t have any money from their $550 a month pension cheque. We have to pay money to get to the centre. The Minister is also welcome to walk into my office to have this discussion.

I want to ask the Minister if he’s willing to look at this file again and properly compensate the elders who have made their own travel arrangements, paid their own tickets to come to Inuvik or Yellowknife.

I am certainly happy that Cabinet has agreed to put a long-term care facility in the Sahtu for the people of the Northwest Territories. My understanding, from talking to some of the elders, is once they are assessed and with the lack of infrastructure in their communities, they have to somehow make their way to Yellowknife or Inuvik and they have to pay for their airfare.

I want to ask the Minister, if that’s the case, is his department looking at where the elders don’t have to pay for their airfare once they get assessed and they have to come to a long-term care facility for their future needs...

I know once we get Ministers into our communities, there are issues even without the Minister’s role or responsibility. There are all kinds of issues. So, specifically, I want to have the Minister put some emphasis on the request for palliative beds in the community of Deline, and certainly as I’m standing here today, I will be inviting the Minister into Deline. When we have time we can go into that community. So I want to ask the Minister to talk about specifically the palliative care request that the people in Deline have.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services, and it goes to my Member’s statement on palliative care for the people in the community of Deline. It has been a big issue for some time, and actually since 1993 they’ve had units that were there for extended care shut down in 1994. They’ve made some changes to it. However, my letter of 2005-2006, just an update from last year from the previous Minister of Health and Social Services that went into Deline. People in the community of Deline are asking that the existing community wellness building have two beds...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was reading the budget and the highlights over the weekend. I made a comment in one of my meetings that it’s not a bad budget, and then I woke up.

---Laughter

Mr. Chair, I want to say that when I looked at the budget and looked at it from the perspective of the communities and from the Sahtu region, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen in budget history that the budget is going to be shared with the Aboriginal governments. In all my time with the Legislative Assembly I have never seen that. There’s a significant amount of money going to the Aboriginal governments. For me...

Would the Minister be committing to look at past files where people who have left their communities in the Sahtu who have to come to a long-term care facility because of their medical needs where these elders have paid for their own tickets from Colville Lake, Fort Good Hope, Deline or Tulita and that these files will be looked at and proper compensation will go back to these elders?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I want to talk about the elders in our small communities who have to go through a long-term care facility either in Inuvik or Yellowknife. Once they get assessed in that community, they are better suited in the long-term care facility, providing they have beds. Is it the responsibility of the elders to find themselves in those facilities?