Wendy Bisaro

There is an overwhelming need for respite care in our territory. When will the Health and Social Services department roll out the territorial respite implementation plan?

I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, want to thank the mover and the seconder of the motion for bringing it forward, Mr. Bromley and Mr. Yakeleya. You’ve heard already, and we’re going to hear again, that this is a controversial motion. We’ve already had great debate at committee about it and I think it was a very healthy debate. I appreciate the comments I’ve heard from committee and I appreciate the comments I’ve heard today.

In listening to my colleagues, I get the impression that they think we are debating a federal bill. That’s not what we are doing, Mr. Speaker. We are debating the effects of...

I’m still struggling to get a year out of the Minister. If the Minister wants us to indicate to him that respite care is an important priority, then I’m certainly sure that the standing committee can do that for him. I asked where it sits in the priorities for the department, and I don’t think I really heard an answer.

Again, I would like to know from the Minister… He says that there are no new initiatives. This plan is already in progress. I don’t think it’s a new initiative to expand a plan, but I’d like to hear from the Minister, if that’s the government stance, that an expansion of any plan...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask a few more questions of the Minister for Health and Social Services. I would like to follow up on some of my previous questions.

My first question was, we have established a territorial respite care plan, from what I understand, and I asked the Minister for an update, but now I’m asking when that plan is going to be rolled out.

I thank the Minister. I don’t think I heard of this opportunity for families to access respite care through home care.

Can the Minister provide a bit better explanation to me and to people listening? What would a family get by applying through home care? What kind of service is provided through home care for respite? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I want to follow up on my statement and talk a bit about the Territorial Respite Care Plan, which apparently is ready to go.

I would like to ask the Minister, first of all, if he would give me, and give the House and the public, an update on the Territorial Respite Care Plan, where it is at. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Yellowknife Association for Community Living and the NWT Disabilities Council provide many programs for disabled persons and their families. One of the most widely used and most appreciated programs is the Respite Care Program.

Under the Respite Program here in Yellowknife, a caregiver from the Yellowknife Association for Community Living takes care of disabled children for three to five hours a week. The program not only gives the children’s families a short break each week, but it also introduces the children to a social life outside their families.

The Yellowknife...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. My last question, I guess, goes to… Now I’ve totally lost my question and I’ll have to go to the one that I didn’t intend to ask.

The Minister talked about home care and that respite is available through home care. I’d like to ask the Minister if families needing respite care are using home care without any further resources added to the home care services in the communities, is that not just going to overwhelm the home care staff in our communities because they’re now providing home care for adults as well as home care for disabled persons?

We are in the business planning process right now, and I think the Minister is well aware of that. We have a business planning process every year.

I’d like to know from the Minister where respite care and the territorial respite care plan sits in the priorities for the department. Is he negotiating with Finance to have the respite care expansion start in ’13-14 or are we talking ’20-21?

To the Minister, I accept that we have a fiscal policy that says that we weren’t going to do any new initiatives, but I have to also say to the Minister and to the House that we have put a huge amount of money over and above our steady fiscal policy into other initiatives. I have to say that some of our on-the-road initiatives are pretty heavy in terms of dollars. I think if there was a will, we would find the money to put into alcohol. It would save us money in the long run.

I said in my statement that I think it’s time to stop studying and it’s time to take action. I’d like to know from the...