Sandy Lee

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Member for the question. I think what we agree on, and even the Members in this House and what we are hearing from outside, is that everybody says that we should find a way to include those people who are not included right now. I think the issue is about how we do that. The suggestions that have come forward in our public meetings are that we should do it by universality. Just make that part of the Canada, our NWT health care or bring them in by increasing taxes or progressive taxation or do it by reducing other government programs, but I think there is an agreement...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a very specified procedure for filing complaints under the Medical Profession Act. Anyone who has a concern with a physician or any other medical practitioner could write… Well, they could first talk to the chief executive officer and the people in their authority. Then there is what’s called a complaints officer under the Medical Profession Act, and the complaints officer would review the complaints. Complaints could go into alternative dispute resolution or any other ways of sorting it out, or the matter could go into a board of inquiry where a board made up...

I’m sorry, Mr. Speaker, I thought the Clerk was going to read it. I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Robert Hawkins on March 4, 2010, regarding radiologists contract status.

In 2009 the Diagnostic Imaging Pictures Archiving and Communications System, known as DI/PACS, was implemented in the Northwest Territories. The DI/PACS allows for radiology examinations to be stored and retrieved in a digital format. The DI/PACS also allows for X-ray images to be sent over a secure Internet connection to other health care providers. With the addition of this technology the NWT had an opportunity...

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important for the Member to know that I do understand the Member’s concern. We do want to make sure that we have a process in place where our residents who provide service have a concern about their practitioner, that there is a process in place. I am just not able to say anything that would give comfort to her that would in any way talk about an individual who is not before this Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, I do commit to her that I will talk to her privately and give her the information that she needs, at least over a short period of time and then we could go from there...

When the motion was passed we had a big debate about whether or not income test is a good option. We should look at things from the blank slate. We did review those. I directed the staff to look at the user profile, look at who’s using it, how much it’s costing, what does it mean, how can we expand the programs to those who are excluded. We looked at all of that, Mr. Speaker, and I know that there are those who choose not to accept some of the information that they received. But the fact of the matter is we have done the research and the research shows that, in terms of income profile of our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have three documents to table. List of visits to communities in 2008-2009 by physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

Mr. Speaker, we have had very open and healthy dialogue and information sessions with the standing committee. The public hearing just started this Monday. The second one was in Hay River and they will go into all of the regional centres. We have been communicating through the website. Our people are responding. The interchange is quite productive. Our people wanted to know what we are considering for a threshold, because people want to have something solid to see how they are impacted. We have posted them on-line and the Members have details of that.

Mr. Speaker, I know the Member would like to...

Under this proposal, if you go to the information that we have on the website, you would have to make $400,000 net income, that’s line 236 in federal income tax, you would have to make $400,000 before you have to pay 100 percent of glasses, $1,000 dental benefits, and 100 percent of your prescription drugs. You would have to make $150,000 before you start making some contribution. That is being competitive. I would challenge any other government in the land who would pay for thousand dollar dental fees and glasses without a means test when you’re making $200,000-plus.

The Member should support...

Mr. Speaker, the information that we presented to the standing committee Tuesday morning has now been posted on the website and there is very detailed information about what number of residents in the Territories currently have no access to extended health benefits whether through the government program or third-party insurance. The proposal we are making is that depending on where the income threshold is, whether it is $30,000 or $50,000, and remembering again that that is the starting threshold so that if the income threshold was at $50,000, any family making a net income between $50,000 to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that question has come up: has the department looked at what impact this will have in terms of people wanting to leave. I have two direct answers to that. One is that we have no reason to believe that anything we are doing here would encourage anybody to leave the North because our program is as good, if not better, than what’s available anywhere else. So our supp health benefits are still a robust one and the fact is all across the country, except for Nunavut, all extended health benefits are income tested. Not only are they income tested, some of them are means...