Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Madam Chair. I know I’d like to read a motion on this page, but I think I’ll start with a question or two first. That said, the question I have is under grants and contributions to the hospital services that we provide. One of the primary funding problems that we have, and I highlighted it the other day in the opening comments, which was how we fund medical travel and physician services. I’m just wondering, would the Minister speak to that as to what type of funding model he would consider, in the context I’ve asked, the department to think about or consider or even go so far as I...

Thank you. So is the whole sum total paid out for the staff, or are there other activities associated with the management and administration?

Is the Minister saying that just, you know, making numbers easy, $14 million is used for travel by the staff in Inuvik?

Nope. That will be fine for now. Thank you.

Then maybe, in case I missed it, where was it reallocated from?

Thank you again, Madam Chair. I’m wondering if the Minister can provide some details as to what activities are associated with the management and administration under the health authority administration, if he could provide a breakdown as to what that is. Thank you.

Thank you to the Minister. The next question I have is about the third-party gap. Under the third-party gap – and I appreciate the deputy minister’s detail and highlight how she clarified some of that – do we find we get short-changed on any of that and, if so, could someone from the department, through the Minister obviously, provide that level of detail, what we’re left on the hook for.

Thank you. Sure, if you can have an answer by 6:30, that would be good.

---Laugher

That’s fine. I was only kidding on that one. I’d be happy if they could get back as soon as possible. That would be quite helpful. Furthermore, I would also hope that they would take the guidance of maybe profiling it under a different method. It seems strange that it’s parked there.

The only thing I would ask, then I think we could probably leave this page, is why was there such a jump between the ‘12-13 mains and the revised estimates. I mean, what actually changed in the game? We went from $473,000 to $739,000...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table a document, a picture I took which demonstrates that regular gas is sold at $1.389 per litre here in Yellowknife and continues to underscore my issue with gas prices. Thank you.

Thank you for that. Just adding a little further, so is it safe to say that… Sorry. Would it be correct to say that medical travel, then, is on budget for core cost and should we be including third-party cost in its normal line budget? If the taxpayers of the Northwest Territories asked the simple question does normal medical travel under the cost of our programs we offer as a government service, are we on budget or are we within budget, is that a fair statement to make?