Sandy Lee

Right now my focus is on working on the Supplementary Health Benefits Program so that there is fairness and equity in that. I need people out there to know that the government’s plan and intention is to provide coverage to those who need it, that we will continue to provide the Extended Health Care Benefits Program and we will continue to work and have programs that are comparable, if not better, than what’s provided in the rest of Canada. But in the rest of Canada there are no extended health benefits that either don’t charge premiums or has some kind of user pay and there is a very strict...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NIHB programs are set up and administered by the federal government. I understand they have a panel of people who review the program. I think some people might not be aware that their program guidelines are quite strict. There are lots of things that they do not cover and that we hear from all the time. If we were to consider any changes to that, it’s a completely different process and we would not have much say in that anyway.

I’m willing to convey and communicate any concerns that the Member might have. Any changes to the Metis health benefits are something that...

The Member is right; I am aware of the situation where the patients waiting were bumped off, but I was not aware that there are only two seats assigned. I was not aware that there were seat assignment situations. By and large we do move a lot of our residents around to receive the care that they need and obviously we can always do better, so I will undertake to review how we deliver that and where we can improve it, we will do that.

I think it’s important for people to know that the NIHB Program is completely separate from extended health benefits. That is a federal program and what happens there would not have a bearing on what happens with extended health benefits. This is our GNWT program. This is extra health benefits that we provide to our residents above and beyond what’s normally considered under the Canada Health Act. We have some of the most generous programs. We cover prescriptions, vision care and dental care for our seniors. We cover 100 percent of specified conditions.

We are not talking about reducing...

I don’t believe we have our stats broken down into that detail, but it is true under our current system that those with employer insurance, whether they work for the government or whatever third-party insurance they have, if they are over 60 they get a top-up. Nobody else would get the top-up. Same for those with chronic conditions. If they have private insurance they will get a top-up. But because our system basically covers 100 percent of it all, they come straight to us.

We are asking that very question to our general public. In the material that we put into the website -- and that will go out to every household -- we do ask people about at what income level, if we were to consider co-payments, that we should begin to do that, instead of coming out and saying X, Y, Z and asking people whether they say yes or no. We are asking the people. We are explaining to the people what this program is, how it differs from the rest of Canada, who’s using it, and we are asking whether or not income thresholds should be used for a criteria for accessing information, whereas...

Just for the record, the dementia centre from the planning to opening this year took 10 years. The feasibility study was done in 2003. Like I said before, I am willing to look at Ulukhaktok, and the Member is well aware of the capital plan process that we have to follow. I will make a commitment to look at Ulukhaktok and see what the needs are and where we could work with other agencies to see. I’m not even sure, I need to be clear what the Member is talking about, and that it is an assisted living facility, which is done through the Housing Corporation and Health and Social Services. Then we...

I have committed to looking at the situation in Ulukhaktok and Paulatuk. We will follow up on that and look at it in light of the overall assisted living programs for seniors that we need to develop as a whole. The Member has to understand, and I think everybody here understands, that we want to keep our elders in their communities and as close as possible, wherever possible. We need to have a plan in place to do that.

Absolutely. Positively, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to having this discussion over the next two or three months. Thank you.

I would like to recognize a long-term resident of Yellowknife and a friend that I went to school with, Laurie McLean. Thank you.