Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, November 5, 2010, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that this Legislative Assembly requests the Governor-in-Council to dissolve the 16th Legislative Assembly on September 4, 2011, to permit a general election for the 17th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories to be held on October 3, 2011.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I again today want to talk about health care programs and funding.

We’re all aware that funding for a valuable, well-used respite program is set to end next March. The impact has been discussed. It will adversely affect parents, but more so, in my mind, is the negative affect it will have on disabled children.

The respite program has provided socializing opportunities for these kids outside the home with their respite worker. They’ve been able to develop relationships with their worker and, more importantly perhaps, with other children.

Several parents have told me that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 2(3) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act and Section 9(3) of the Northwest Territories Act, every Legislative Assembly shall continue for four years after the day fixed for the return of the writ of election for the general election and no longer;

AND WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 39(5) of the Elections and Plebiscites Act, the Legislative Assembly has expressed a desire to have the general election held on the first Monday in October in the fourth calendar year following polling day for the last general election;

AND WHEREAS...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this motion. For me, the preamble, the whereas clauses of this motion say it all. The government keeps saying that we value families, that we want to support families, but I find this is a very strange way of showing it by cutting a program of such value.

Further, this action flies in the face of the recently tabled report on the review of the Child and Family Services Act. Throughout that report there’s a recurring theme of the need for provision of supports for families and communities. How can the Minister of Health and Social Services accept the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, wish to thank all the people for coming today and welcome them here. I have a number of Frame Lake residents I would like to recognize. Firstly, Dave and Maureen Miller, Dave of CBC fame; and Jessica and Vincent Casey; Katie Miller and my constituency assistant, Kerry King. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m totally in support of this motion. For me, it’s a no-brainer. I have been perplexed since the federal government announced they were cancelling the long-form census as to what the rationale was for them doing so.

The motion itself references any number of reasons why we need the long-form census. So I don’t think I’m going to repeat what’s in the motion. My colleague Mr. Bromley has covered many other reasons as well.

I just want to read a quote from the executive director of the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg. She said, “They strongly urge the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I guess we have to agree to disagree. I’m puzzled that we need a policy change or a new policy in order to implement some of these efficiencies and changes to supp health and chronic conditions coverage.

The last thing I want to ask the Minister is whether or not... There have been a number of changes that have been mentioned in her statement. I have to assume, I’m hoping these are not all the changes that are being proposed. Are these the short-term changes and are there medium- and long-term changes coming?

Thanks to the Minister. I’m afraid her words don’t give me much comfort. She’s mentioned that she’s coming back to announce the process to talk about implementation. I have several concerns there. The coverage of people who are not currently covered is a very basic need and it’s one that certainly all Members have agreed upon. It was not one that at the Joint Working Group there was any kind of disagreement on. So I need to know from the Minister, in terms of these announcements of process and implementation, will there be an opportunity for the public, I guess, to have input on those? I know...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The long-awaited response from the Health Minister with regard to supplementary health benefits is finally here. I’d like to thank the Minister for her statement today. Many, many people in the public have been asking for a response to the Joint Working Group, to the changes to the Supplementary Health Benefits Policy, and they’ve been looking for information on these changes literally for months. I appreciate the Minister advising the public today through her statement.

I have to say that the 2007 policy, the rescindment of that policy is music to my ears. I believe...