Wendy Bisaro

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...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have to again express my philosophical different path than the Minister on this. I understand that this special warrant was needed because at the beginning of the forest fire season we had quite a few fires and we overspent our budget almost right off the bat. Again, I have to wonder why we budget a base amount that is fully used just to mobilize our forces to fight one or two fires. It would seem to me that we’d be far better off to go to a bit more realistic estimate of the number, in my perspective. Again I have to ask if we’re budgeting on actuals, although I...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m trying to understand the philosophy and the rationale for the budgeting here. The Minister advised that they budget on actuals. I’m looking at figures provided to back up this request. I’m looking at an actual deficit in 2008-2009 of almost $2.8 million. Yet it would seem that in 2009-2010 we did not bump up our actual expenditures, because we’re still short by $3.6 million. So from $2.8 million to $3.6 million, that’s $800,000. That’s not bad, but I would like to know, I guess, from the Minister if he could tell me what we budgeted in 2009-2010 for medical travel...

The Minister and I have discussed the philosophy before and I have to disagree with him. I’m not so sure that funding to an unrealistic level is going to provide any more accountability than funding to a realistic level and then forcing our staff to keep to that expenditure limit.

I don’t see much accountability when before us sits a supplementary appropriation for $3.6 million for last year, $3.2 million anticipated for this year. I don’t really see how this is providing accountability in this particular aspect of our Supplementary Health Program expenditures.

I did want to ask another question...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am somewhat concerned by the numbers on this page. This indicates that in both last year, fiscal 2009-10, and anticipating the cost in fiscal year 2010-11, we are overspending our medical travel budget by about $3.2 and $3.6 million. So I have to anticipate that going forward it’s probably going to be about the same kind of an overage in future years. I’d like to know from the Finance Minister whether or not he can advise what sort of actions are being taken to try and minimize the cost of medical travel, or are we just simply going to come back year after year for a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, November 1, 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.

Thanks to the Minister for her comments. I appreciate, I think, Standing Committee on Social Programs will certainly take advantage of the Minister’s comment that we can go for public input. I imagine there will be certainly some of that.

The Minister mentioned the 2007 policy, which has now been rescinded. It kind of leads into my question. I guess two things: I don’t think we need a policy to extend coverage to people who are not covered, but in the absence of a Supplementary Health Benefits Policy -- which I presume we now have -- what will govern extended health benefits, Metis health...