Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement, I raised a number of issues. I want to start with one of them today. The question is about the announcement that was made on the wait times by the federal government and his territorial counterparts about a month ago in the Great Hall. I would like to ask the Minister of Health a question about how that proposal, in terms of how it relates to the North, has come about. The federal statement stated that the wait times would gear towards five categories. Some of them being cancer treatment, diagnostic imaging and surgical...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think the Minister has detail of the information on this review, so may I ask the Minister to make a commitment to look at not only the human resources review that’s being worked on at the hospital, but also the survey being undertaken by UNW. I’d just like to ask him to commit to looking at that and see what we can do to implement some of those findings. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask questions today to the Minister of Health and Social Services and it’s in regards to the human resources management review that’s being undertaken at the hospital in partnership with the management of the hospital as well as the employees there, and there was a process developed to work on that. I’d like to ask, on the eve of us leaving this session, if he could give an update as to where we are with that review? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Census Canada released results from a 2006 survey yesterday which seems to more accurately reflect the demographics of the NWT population. I’d like to acknowledge the Stats NWT for doing the work they did in assisting Census Canada with the work. When we get our funding per capita, every head counts, obviously, Mr. Speaker, and this also just shows you why we need to do more things in the North, not in Ottawa, to get the things done right.

Mr. Speaker, one of the things that emerged from the 2006 Census is that Canada now gets most of its population growth...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we’ll have to wait to get some more details and maybe the Minister will undertake to do that. I understand there is another review being done by the UNW with respect to working conditions and harassment issues or violence issues. I’d like to ask the Minister if he’s aware of that and whether he can undertake to take a look at that and see what government can do to implement the findings there in partnership with UNW. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, if we are going to maintain and grow our population by immigration, we need to employ a plan that would bring new and old people together and raise everyone to an equal playing field. Territorially and nationally I believe this is a sleeper issue that will challenge us a great deal as a nation unless we pay attention to this at the level it deserves. I’d like to urge this government and the federal government to address these issues, not just as an issue of number of votes, but an issue that is important to our economic and political future...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could the Minister indicate whether this is a governmental plan to let this situation continue in that it would allow these treatment contracts to continue on indefinitely and thereby really making it less urgent for the parties to get back together? Does the government not see a huge problem in that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would suggest, though, by allowing…The Minister hasn’t answered whether or not there are any provisions in the contract with this board of this treatment centre that would prohibit the services to be placed elsewhere the way it is now. He hasn’t answered that. If the government continues to let this go on, is the government not complicit in letting the situation continue on, because it so seriously weakens the bargaining position of the workers and the union thereby not making it necessary for the employer to go back to the table? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to welcome the representatives from Nats’ejee K’eh and the UNW and PSAC. At the same time I would like to especially welcome a family friend who was helping my family get our foot into our new life in Canada. She’s visiting the North from Ponoka for the second time in 20 years. I would like to welcome Mrs. Campbell who is with my mother. Welcome, Mrs. Campbell. Thank you.

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Thank you, Madam Chair. I need to speak on this motion because I believe this is next to the motion about changing the mandatory, or the Minister reviewing the mandatory that I spoke to earlier. I think this is one single thing that we could make a lot of difference to.

Madam Chair, I have to say that while a lot of discussions here evolve around injured workers who are unsuccessful in their claims, I think all the Members here are aware of the fact that what we are trying to do is create a fair system. The way I see it, it’s okay to go through the Workers’ Compensation process for most of...