Robert Bouchard

That collaboration is something I would like to see go forward as much as possible. I am looking to see what the Minister and the departments are doing to deal with the increased costs associated with staying in their own homes. Have they looked at what the CPI is and are some of our funding programs tied to that type of increase? Because from my understanding, some of those increases haven’t been seen over many years.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you know, in the North we have a lot of respect for our seniors and elders, but in Hay River I often get the opportunity to visit with a lot of seniors and many of them live in their own homes. They are proud that they live in their own homes; however, the increasing cost of living in those homes is making it more and more difficult to stay there. Some are considering moving south, which I think is shameful. I think we need to keep all Northerners in the North. Some are looking to sell their homes and apply for seniors housing and to use seniors facilities.

I have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Human Rights Act, No. 3, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate that information from the Minister. I guess my question was about the linking of those expenditures and those funding programs to some sort of index that shows that they’re going to see increases. Like I indicated, some of those have not seen increases for several years. Is there a way that the government is looking at implementing this to a CPI index to increase those amounts for seniors?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement I spoke of seniors and trying to keep them as long as we can in their homes. My questions are for the Minister responsible for Seniors.

What systems does the GNWT have in place to link all those seniors’ issues? I had indicated in my Member’s statement that lots of the seniors’ issues are in different departments, so that is a question I have for the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, November 5, 2012, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that the following persons be recommended to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories for appointment as members of the Human Rights Adjudication Panel, effective November 5, 2012, and for a term of four years:

Mr. Lou Sebert of Fort Smith; and

Mr. Sheldon Toner of Yellowknife.

I’d like to ask the Minister if he would commit to looking into the funding of lap bands surgery to help those people who are morbidly obese.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my Member’s statement, we do have a situation in the Northwest Territories with a lot of people who are heavily overweight, and my question to the Minister of Health is: What current programs are available to people that are looking to assist themselves in losing weight?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to also see if the Minister would commit to looking into setting up criteria of who is eligible, along with a complete weight loss program similar to other jurisdictions such as he indicated, in Alberta. Can we have a matching type of program that will assist our people in the Northwest Territories to have healthy living?

I was part of that program and the Alberta program and their demand is very high. I think they have kind of limited the amount of use that we have on their program. I’d like to ask the Minister, has the Department of Health in the past funded weight loss programs such as lap bands or gastric bypass programs?