Wendy Bisaro

Thanks to the Minister. The Minister mentioned a number of things that the department is hopeful will create a reduction in the cost of our medical travel. Could I get an indication from the department as to how much money we are, how much federal money is going into medical travel at this point and can I get an indication of what kind of cost savings the Minister is talking about when he mentions the programs that he mentioned.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a number of questions on this page. I wanted to start off with looking at the federal funding that we have, which is due to expire in a year’s time, give or take. The information that we have currently indicates that much of the federal funding is being used for supplementing, I guess, our medical staff, doctors, nurse practitioners and the other large piece is supplementing our medical travel.

I mentioned in my comments the other day that I’m quite concerned with the fact that we haven’t yet got an extension of this federal funding. I appreciate the fact that the...

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that commitment and I look forward to the information. I think the Minister said that he has responded to the letter that came from the nine organizations. I don’t believe the Minister copied us on that letter. If he did, I haven’t seen it yet.

I’d like to know from the Minister what the Minister’s response was to the four or five requests that were in the letter that he received in December. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement. I have some questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment with regard to the focus that we put on heritage in the NWT and in the activities of the department. I’d like to ask the Minister if he could explain to me and to the House what we currently do to support heritage activities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The arts are alive and well in the NWT. We are blessed with visual arts, music, film, dance, and written word artists, to name just a few. This government recognizes the contributions that arts performers make. We recognize the positive impact on the economy from the arts and that they are essential to the preservation of NWT culture. Funding for the arts is provided through the Education, Culture and Employment budget, and we present awards for culture through the Minister’s Cultural Circle. But there’s one aspect of our lives and our history which needs greater...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 9-17(4), NWT Main Estimates, 2013-2014, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. DeLancey. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Beaulieu.

I appreciate the Minister’s point that things change and we can’t predict everything. I realize that contract amounts change, inflation has an impact, but I’m troubled by the way this is presented in that we think we’re going to save money because it looks like we should. I would hope that the Minister, I’m going to ask the Minister, does the department not have a better method of deciding what changes we’re going to make? It sounds to me like, well, this looks like a pretty good idea so let’s just try this one. Surely the Minister should be able to, and the department should be able to...

I’m glad to hear the Minister say that it’s not an option to reduce physician support and nurse practitioners and that we will continue to fund those. I also sincerely hope that we will get an extension of this federal funding, because we desperately need it in order to provide the proper physician and nursing support that we need for our hospitals and health centres.

With regard to medical travel, it’s been mentioned by many Members and with regard to the amount of money that we currently put in to medical travel from our federal funding, it’s a large amount. What plan – and the Minister’s...