Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask questions again today in regard to an NWT-wide coordinated energy plan. I’m going to direct my questions today to the lead Minister for the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee to see whether I can get some more full answers, perhaps.

Yesterday, the Minister of Finance, in answer to my questions, implied that we have a coordinated approach to energy across the NWT. So I would like to ask the Minister for MECC if he can identify for me the one document which outlines all the NWT energy activities for both the government and our residents...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a couple of comments. It is a concern for me that our seniors population is increasing a lot as we all grow older, and I’m included in that bunch, for sure. You don’t have to agree quite so noisily, my colleague. I did want to comment, though, that in terms of seniors care, we need to make sure that we have a continuum of care from housing, which allows them to be fully independent to assisted living to long-term care or to slightly assist...whatever. But we need a continuum of care, and one of the things that struck me in discussing this motion earlier is...

...(inaudible)...fast as they can in dealing with this because the sooner it gets to the public, the better it is. There is going to be an awful lot of interest in this and even from the first of May to the first of September is a very short time. So let’s get at it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I mentioned in my general comments this area was an extremely highly volatile issue about a year ago and I wanted to know in terms of proposed... Okay, I’ll start again. The changes are proposed to be put in place on September 1, 2010, and the Minister has advised, I think, that there is some work going on at this point. I wondered if I could get a bit more information in detail about just exactly what is happening at the moment. There are no consultations certainly that the public can take part in at this point, so I would like some information as to what work is going...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess without having any kind of a time frame I need to ask a general question. If we are not currently capturing the costs of providing services, some services to Nunavut patients, communities, et cetera, what sort of liability does that put out there for us? How vulnerable are we to spending money that we’re not going to recoup? Is this going to create a situation where we are going to be basically in debt because we’re providing services for which we’re not being paid? I guess I would like to know how much. But if the Minister can’t tell me when we’re going to be...

Mr. Chairman, thank you to the deputy minister for that explanation. I guess I am glad to hear that this is an issue that is going to be looked at in further detail. To me it sounds as though this is a logical approach to look at the big picture, figure out what we should be doing and what we shouldn’t be doing and then go after the funding for those things that we are doing that aren’t now covered. Is it possible for the deputy minister or the Minister to give us some indication of timing on sort of when this work might be completed, when we might be amending the agreement to sort of be able...

Mr. Speaker, I guess I just have to say to the Minister that I have a really hard time with the argument that we need to wait for what the U.S. does or we need to align ourselves with the United States. I am sorry, but we are a Territory in and of our own right. We should be doing our own work and setting our own targets. The fact that it is only a small bit in the environment of the world has nothing to do with the fact that we should do it.

I would like to ask the Minister if he can identify, and this is again in terms of energy initiatives, what the GNWT is doing to educate our residents and...

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister but, again, I have to ask the same question. I am asking for one document. Does this government have one document which talks about all the energy activities that we do? He’s mentioned that there are a number of documents. I don’t dispute that. There are way too many documents, in my view. He has also talked about strategies which we paid for many millions of dollars. Where are those? Why aren’t we using them? Is there one document which coordinates all our energy activities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I considered a subject for my Member’s statement today, I realized I have been taking the government to task for the past week, some might say too harshly. So I thought I would take a look around and see if I could find a few good things happening within the GNWT and the Legislative Assembly. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that I found lots of good results.

For instance, during last year’s budget debate I was very vocal about the millions earmarked for the Olympics, but the money was approved and now the work has been done and the value of the money spent...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a quick question. I thought I had heard, I can’t quite remember where, in the last few days that the program review office was looking at some of the costs of medical travel. Could I get a confirmation from the Minister that that is so and if there are any findings that she can reveal at this point? Thank you.