Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. First Nations clients are not eligible for coverage under the EHB program that is administered by our government. There is something inherently wrong here, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I urge this government to do the right thing and afford aboriginal clients the same level of health care benefits that all other Northwest Territories residents enjoy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s very confusing. I can see why it’s so confusing for seniors when they are trying to see where their benefits come from. Is there any move on the government’s part to bring in a program where all seniors or all people are treated equally under the health care plan? Right now, there are about four different ones that seniors especially are trying to find out where they fit into. Is there any move to try to bring everybody under the same umbrella? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Michael Miltenberger. Mr. Speaker, I hope that in my Member’s statement I didn’t confuse Members as to how our health benefit program is working in the Northwest Territories. When I started looking into it, it was certainly confusing to me. Maybe the Minister has an example like the water glass to make it simple for everybody here.

As I alluded to in my Member’s statement, I don’t believe that our government is doing everything it can to provide adequate health care coverage for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to address an apparent inequity in our health care system; that being that our First Nations people -- particularly our First Nations seniors -- are not receiving the same level of service from our government that non-native seniors are receiving in the area of health care benefits.

Mr. Speaker, I have often said in this House that access to adequate health care is a fundamental right of our citizens. However, it appears that that may not be the case. Mr. Speaker, for example, an aboriginal senior who requires a prescription must have their...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just to put a little bit more perspective on this subject, if I understand this correctly, a non-aboriginal senior, for example, can move into the Northwest Territories after not having lived there ever before in their life, and after three months of residency, they qualify for full health care benefits under the GNWT seniors program. That seniors program covers everything from prescriptions to mobility aids right down to multivitamins and band aids. Conversely, an aboriginal senior who may have lived here all their life is not entitled to apply for GNWT...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Metis program of health benefits was instituted in 1997 to offer Metis people similar benefits to status persons, but it wasn’t 100 per cent coverage. Since April of 2002, Metis persons have since been provided 100 per cent coverage under this program and it’s administered through our government. Will the Minister please state in this House if there are any negotiations -- and he just mentioned the federal government -- underway to enable our government to provide the same level of health care coverage to status persons that is currently provided to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier commit to also passing on to Cabinet the negative possible impacts that not replacing the resident judge in Hay River could have on the community; both what he has been informed of so far and any information that comes to him between now and the decision? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Honourable Joe Handley, Premier of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, in my line of questioning a little earlier with the Minister of Justice, it seems to me that I heard that the Minister is not prepared to go to Cabinet with a decision on the replacement of the resident judge in Hay River and that he's getting his direction from the judiciary. So it creates some concern, Mr. Speaker, that if his information is coming from the judiciary, who is looking after the interests of the people? I just heard the Premier say that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in view of the fact that this part of the judicial system in the North especially affects the residents of the South Slave, what consultation has the Minister done, or does he intend to do, in helping him make a decision as to where the resident judge should be placed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Justice, the Honourable Charles Dent. As I stated in my Member's statement, the Honourable Chief Judge Robert Halifax retired in the fall after some 26 years of distinguished service to the North. In view of the fact that this has created a vacancy in Hay River, and indeed in the judicial system in the North, could the Minister explain to this House what his role is in filling this vacancy created by the retirement of the resident judge in the South Slave? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.