Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The particular issue I keep trying to raise here is linking the reduction of services to poor management. I’d ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what work is done from a waste buster point of view. With a department that has a budget of $326 million, do they have any staff or personnel dedicated to finding wasted resources within their organization?

Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure how the Health Minister can keep saying that there aren’t changes coming to the Supplementary Health Benefits Program when there are changes. What are we evaluating then? It doesn’t make sense. How can the Minister keep saying that there aren’t changes coming without it being reflected on the costs of the system? I’d like to understand that from the Minister’s point of view. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was listening to the Minister of Health’s answers really closely and I think what she represents is the exact reason why people hate politicians. Because when you move something around, it’s called a change; and when you reduce something, it’s called a reduction. So, Mr. Speaker, that frustration is articulated out there by playing with semantics. So I’d like to ask the Minister again -- perhaps another way we’ll get the answer -- what work and analysis is done by the Department of Health and Social Services to make sure that they’re collecting all the fees and...

The reality is we’re making doctors manage. Why aren’t we looking at those issues to save money in our system rather than cutting away at supplementary health benefits?

Mr. Speaker, streamlining access sounds like a reduction of services to me. I’m not sure where the Minister...how she understands it that way.

Mr. Speaker, when I referred to Nunavut services as a priority, we send our team professionals here, whether they’re physio or speech, to places in Nunavut and that makes their clients more of a priority when we have people here not getting full services. On top of that, it’s a billing issue.

But, Mr. Speaker, my question, as stated before, and I’ll ask it this way: Mr. Speaker, again, we’ll have a difference of opinion on reduced services or money, but...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Al Shortt, one of the YK No. 1 School trustees. He’s in the gallery today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I highlighted the fact that we’ve got doctors acting like either summer students or clerks. In my statement I also pointed out that we’re not billing properly. So are we like a diamond mine? No, we’re not. But the strategy and process and thinking is exactly the same: wise resources and good use of them. Would the Minister re-examine the issue of establishing a position that looks at how we use our resources to make sure we’re using them in the most efficient way? It’s not about the question of providing resources, it’s how we spend the money...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to express some serious concern and caution to this Cabinet before us. I speak in favour of the Taltson Hydro Project, but I need to see some results. We’ve all heard about how great this project may be, and I certainly support any hydro expansion in our North. But when I talk to industry face to face, they show no interest in this project. They stall and don’t move to make any agreements with the Government of the Northwest Territories. The longer this process takes, there will be no diamond mine industry for them to extend the power to.

We need to have...

Mr. Speaker, the Minister highlights a financial pot and by itself it does sound quite significant. I will acknowledge that. But the problem is a lot of people are coming to the table, and when they all split up the pie it ends up being very small, and that industry does need some serious focus to help keep it moving forward and to continue to develop.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister has been, or I should say it sounded pretty clear that he made a commitment to review the program as what we offer for the film industry, but I’d like to ask the Minister specifically, what does Industry, Tourism and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today will be to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and it goes back to my Member’s statement today where I talked about the film industry. Mr. Speaker, my Member’s statement, really, the crux of it really was getting at the fact that the foundation for the film industry has certainly been planted in the Northwest Territories, but I’m not sure it’s been cultivated and grown properly. I think we still have a significant amount of potential out there to continue and grow.

So, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister of Industry...