Sandy Lee

I have another return to oral question asked by Ms. Wendy Bisaro on March 24, 2010, regarding wait times to see medical specialists in the Northwest Territories.

As I stated in the House, the topic of wait times is a national issue. The international physician shortage and changing population demographics impact wait times around the world. Our medical director is working with health care providers and the chief executive officers of the health and social services authorities, constantly monitor wait time lists both here and in the South. Wait times are generally the same length down south as...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the basis of review of analysis we have done, we believe this is a very good program and provides fair and equitable coverage to most people and those 2,000 people that the Member mentioned. Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, we have referred those suggestions and we have reviewed them and looked at the implications of progressive taxation, taxation to pay a program like this, which is not an insurer service, and we have reviewed the suggestions made in the Minister of Finance’s roundtable on revenue options. There was a suggestion for progressive taxation by Alternatives North. I believe that the program that we are proposing under supp health is a progressive taxation within the program in that we are supporting those who need it the most and we are asking those on a higher income to make a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is with a strong sense of loss that I rise in the House to acknowledge the passing of a great northern woman and leader, Bertha Allen. Bertha is known throughout the Beaufort-Delta, the NWT, Canada and the world as a strong yet soft-spoken Gwich’in woman who lived and worked for the advancement of aboriginal and northern women and social change.

In 1978, Bertha founded the Native Women’s Association of the Northwest Territories. It was her goal to ensure indigenous women of the North were not left behind in the fast-paced development of the day.

She saw that women...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Medical Profession Act, as any other professional body, it lays out a very clear process on how these things get conducted. It does not allow for Minister to intervene. I understand the overall responsibility I have as a Minister to make sure that there is a process in place. I do appreciate that the Member did let me know about that. I am not able to say anything in the House that would attribute anything to individuals out there. Having said that, I did let the Member know that I am concerned about what the Member has told me. I have told her that I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the Member really thought about that question, and I don’t mean to be, I mean this in a very, no disrespect. If the Member really thought about this question, he would know that he’s asking me to project what a health expense will be of our residents. How could anybody do that? For example, myself, I’m quite healthy. I don’t see doctors very well. I mean very much. I am a pretty low-cost NWT resident in terms of health care right now. Tomorrow I could develop an illness. I could have a heart attack. Who knows? I don’t know what I’m going to cost the health system. I...

As the Member for Hay River South and many here know, we know that we have a very good health care program in the Northwest Territories. I honestly don’t believe that somebody... Mr. Speaker, making a public decision and doing the right thing you have to look at things as a total package. We have 2,000 people who will benefit by having access to these programs. Remember, I think people should know, even for other seniors programs like the rental subsidy or fuel subsidy, the day care subsidy, a lot of other government programs are income tested. This is not the first program that would try to...

Mr. Speaker, the existing Extended Health Benefits Program is such that we know who is accessing the program and those who are accessing the program are those who are over 60 or who have a chronic condition or who right now make less than $30,000 which qualifies them as indigent. The information we have on the website says that there are a total number of 3,160 people who do not have extended health benefits coverage or a third-party insurance. That is the number we are trying to work with. Under our proposal, we could cover over 2,000 people out of this 3,000 people. Not only that, unlike the...

Obviously I disagree with the Member’s position on that. The fact is the cost of living issue for everyone in the North is important to this government. It’s also important that we continue to provide a robust Extended Health Benefits Program to our residents. What we are trying to do is to expand the coverage to those who do not have it right now, who are experiencing cost of living issues, as well as anybody else. So we are proposing an income as a criterion to consider and we are open to listen to our residents through this public hearing process about what they think of this and what other...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Listening to the Member’s statement quite closely, it appears that she knows exactly where this policy is headed, what the intent is, what we are trying to achieve, what unfairness and inequities that we are trying to ameliorate, because in fact she just said about 10 minutes ago that she agrees with the intent and the overall approach of this but that she would like it delayed until November. Putting aside the process, if she likes this policy, what is it that she would like to achieve by delaying the process, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.