Sandy Lee

The Member is correct that especially in his communities they are very passionate about this. The government has listened. The Department of Health and Social Services has invested, actually, the largest increase and largest sum to the community of Tuk that I have made available to help the community with their house that they want to open to work on the addictions issues.

The Member mentioned earlier that we should work with the federal government. I would like to advise the Member that the Department of Health and Social Services has finalized an application to the Mental Health Commission so...

The policy is there now. Any expansion of the policy would require additional money and that would have to be the decision of the Legislature as a whole and the government as a whole.

Mr. Speaker, we spend lots of time talking about the sustainability and affordability of our health care and health care related costs. Obviously if we want to expand that and try to find new money, it would have to be done as a partnership between this side of the House and that side. Certainly, I’m willing to explore that, but at the end of the day, it would have to be a decision of the entire Assembly. Thank...

I believe the challenges and the problems that families have to go through has to do with the fact that we do not have a separate pot of money or program to accommodate families who want to be near those who are in care. All of the health authorities try to do their own way to accommodate them. Sometimes they get help from local bands or they look at every bit of money they have to do this, because we do not have a program and funding for that. So if the Member and the committee are interested in pursuing this, I’d be willing to… The Member knows that any changes to policy or establishing of a...

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize Mr. Timothy Riviere and his mother, Heather Riviere.

Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. No, it would not have an impact on the work that they do. Thank you.

Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, May 17, 2010, I will move that Bill 8, Social Work Profession Act, be read for the first time.

The program we have now for providing for a casket is for the indigent only, which means people on income support. There is a very specific amount of money that is allocated for that. The problem is when the families want to go with something more costly, because they want to, as the Member said, do the best for their families. We currently do not have a program that would do that. Lots of back and forth that goes on is that staff are clear about what they are able to purchase. It’s the people who want to do more and we do not have programs for that. If the Member wants to pursue that and work...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct in his concern that we do not have a policy or program funding to accommodate a family of our people when they are dying or when they are sick for any length of time. The only thing we have is a medical escort to medical travel. It’s limited to one person and usually for a very specific period of time. If the Member is interested in working as a committee chair to pursue this further, we could analyze that and see what the cost implications are and what the scope and breadth of that program might be. Thank you.