Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to welcome my constituency assistant, Leah Ipana, to the gallery.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. If we missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the gallery. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to recognize and congratulate a constituent of Frame Lake, Ms. Yvonne Quick, the 2010 recipient of the Yellowknife Heritage Award. Ms. Quick has been a tireless heritage volunteer for many years. She’s worked on 11 committees at least during her time in Yellowknife and she’s currently the coordinator for Arctic Ambassadors, the people who greet Yellowknife’s arriving visitors at the airport and elsewhere. The award will be presented to Ms. Quick at a ceremony this evening. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement today I talked about the insensitive Medical Travel Policy that is not responding to needs suggested by doctors for serious and necessary treatment. Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister of Health and Social Services is: will she investigate these denials for medical travel and medical support and see if we can grandfather these into the system until we have true, fair and honest treatment available here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is -- and I think it’s something that everyone agrees in the Territories -- that we have one of the most, if not the most, generous benefits program under our medical travel, as well as extended health benefits. It is really important that we maintain the integrity of the program and that we make sure that everybody follows the rules. So anybody who is not approved under medical travel or extended health benefits is because they do not meet the program guidelines. That’s what we expect the staff to do with respect to this policy and we will continue to make sure that that is the case. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I’m really glad the Minister brought up the fact of not approved. Mr. Speaker, I’m talking about people who were approved and sent down for medical treatment and were getting consistent medical treatment. Then one day someone decided maybe this doesn’t quite jibe with the policy so let’s completely cut them off and not offer them an alternative treatment here in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, that’s specifically who I’m talking about and exactly the issue. So would the Minister be willing to reconsider and commit to this House that she’ll investigate these files and perhaps grandfather them until there’s an alternative, real solution here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, this situation that the Member describes has to do with weight loss reduction clinics as well as pain clinics. As I’ve already said in the House before, those are not benefits that are eligible under the Canada Health Act. Weight loss reduction or weight loss procedures are not covered anywhere in Canada. It is not an approved medical procedure. Neither is pain clinic in private clinics.
I want to say that we do approve those as an exception where a doctor feels that that is appropriate, especially in pain management. What we require from our patients is that they go back to the physician to make sure that the doctor is paying attention to the treatment that this patient is receiving. So nobody’s being denied as long as they follow the process with regard to pain management. With regard to weight reduction, that is not a covered program under any health care system. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister quite often underrates her authority as Minister and I think she could be in charge on this particular problem. We are talking about medical travel that was approved. Regardless of how it got into the system, the fact is people start to depend on these both emotionally, physically, psychologically. These become major setbacks when all of a sudden one day you’re told your illness is no longer important for us to care about because it’s not on our list.
Mr. Speaker, in short, these are medically supported by doctors and even the Minister says exceptions can happen. So would the Minister be willing to go back and tell this House that she’ll re-examine these files and perhaps we can find some way to solve this problem to help these people? Thank you.
I think the Member is mixing up the facts here, because the situations that he’s brought to my attention are cases where our residents got approval for exception pain clinic appointments in Edmonton or wherever two or three years ago and then that process continued on under medical travel, which is against the policy, and we need to make sure that everyone follows the Medical Travel Policy. When they get an approval for pain clinic or something under exception, they are required to go back to the physician to make sure that the doctor follows up. So where they’re having no doctor intervention for two or three years or a long period of time, we need to make sure the doctor supervises the treatment that these patients are receiving and that’s totally within the rules. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister is now confusing the problem. She said they were approved and now we’re not approving them. So, Mr. Speaker, maybe if we could go back, and if the Minister is willing to commit to go back and see if we could re-evaluate these files through her office, perhaps we could solve this problem and show a little humanity on this particular issue and see if we can send these people out for these particular cases. And may I remind the Minister: pain is not a very comfortable thing to live with every day of your life. Thank you.
As I stated earlier, we do have a very good medical care system, extended health benefits systems, Medical Travel Policy, medical escort. We invest lots of money to make sure that our residents who need care are receiving that care. I think we have the right to ask that doctors are involved in these treatment processes. When we discover that a doctor has not been reviewing the file or the patients have not been going to the doctors to make sure that they are being supervised, we need to ask that, and that’s what we asked to do. That’s how the policy will be implemented. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I bear questions today for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. It gets back to my Member’s statement where I was talking about a young apprentice doing his electrical apprenticeship. He is currently at NAIT wrapping up a second year studies there at NAIT. There is a seat that is opened right now that he could go into to begin his third year. He has enough hours. I find it completely and utterly unbelievable that the government would tell this young man to pack his things, come back to Yellowknife, earn less money and then go to Fort Smith in April. That is the best that we can offer this young man. I find that is completely ridiculous, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister how it is that this could come to pass that this young man would not be allowed to pursue his studies at NAIT, given the fact that he has a seat there and could start immediately. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We are sponsoring Mr. Ramsay’s constituent he is referring to on a second year level training. We are talking about the third year that that particular program is also offered at the college campus in Fort Smith. Exact same programming compared to NAIT’s program. We have to keep in mind, Mr. Speaker, we have to support our own campuses as well here in the Northwest Territories. If we send any individuals out, we pay approximately $5,800 to NAIT for one student. We pay $650 to send them to Fort Smith. That is a substantial savings. That money should be going to our campuses throughout the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that the young man is already in Edmonton. He is set up there. He has accommodations. He has transportation. He is comfortable in his surroundings there, which would be conducive to him succeeding at school and getting back here. If he has to come back here, he is going to be here for a few months earning second-year wage, not third-year wage and then he would have to go to Fort Smith. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Minister if it is okay to do this to young apprentices or if people getting their apprenticeship to force them to go to Fort Smith. How come we don’t force college students where we have programming in the Northwest Territories to stay in the Northwest Territories? Why do we allow anybody else to be free to go to whichever college they choose, Mr. Speaker? Why are apprentices any different? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, again, we do provide these apprenticeship programs in the campuses that we have here in the Northwest Territories. We do support them 100 percent as much as we can. This particular student has a great opportunity to take the program in April. The Member is referring to March. There is one in April that is close to home, close to the family that can certainly take on the opportunity. Those students are taking on other courses. There are other courses down south as well that they can take on, but the fee structure is different in the Apprenticeship Program that we have in place. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, again, I think we should be encouraging people to attend our post-secondary institutes here in the Northwest Territories. However, we should not be forcing people to attend post-secondary studies or apprenticeship programs here in the Northwest Territories. The program the Minister talks of in Fort Smith starts on April 7th. As I mentioned in my Member’s statement, this young man would already be concluded his third year studies at NAIT, back here working in Yellowknife as a third-year apprentice earning more money. Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister should at least take a look at this situation and I am not sure where the flexibility might be, but somebody should do something about this. This should not be allowed to happen, Mr. Speaker. Somebody should intervene on this young man’s behalf. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, We can’t say that we force students to attend the campuses in the Northwest Territories. We like for them to attend. They have opportunity to go to NAIT, SAIT, elsewhere, but they have to cover their own costs as well. We provide savings to these individuals coming to the Northwest Territories. We have to take that into effect when we spend over millions on updating or upgrading our equipment that produces these talented individuals in the Northwest Territories and are working for us in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The argument the Minister is using doesn’t hold any water when it’s not fairly applied across the board to all people seeking post-secondary studies and going through apprenticeship programs. People should be treated the same. According to the Minister, they are not being treated the same. We have investments at Aurora College here in Yellowknife. We have investments at the college campus in Inuvik. We have investments here in Yellowknife. Again, why pick on apprentices? Why isn’t everybody treated the same, Mr. Speaker? Again, I want to ask the Minister, will he take a look at this young man’s situation so that he can complete his third year and get back to the workforce here in Yellowknife as soon as he can, to start earning a third-year wage and not wait around two months until the program opens up in Fort Smith? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, we are not picking on this individual, the student we are talking about here. We are talking about the program that is being offered here in the Northwest Territories in April, three weeks after the one that is starting up in NAIT. That will cost us over $4,000, Mr. Speaker. That $4,000 can go into our campuses here in the Northwest Territories as opposed to going south. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to start by following up on my Member’s statement and commending the city for the progressive action they are taking on affordable housing initiatives. I would also like to express my appreciation for the supportive role of the NWT Housing Corporation to date. I would like to ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit the NWT Housing Corporation to provide continuing support through which participation on the affordable housing committee with the City of Yellowknife or which the City of Yellowknife will be creating very soon? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is right; housing did take part. They were a part of the financing of the report that came out that was being worked on. Housing will continue to be at the table through this whole process and see it through in identifying housing solutions for the city of Yellowknife. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments of the Minister there. I am sure that will be good involvement. Will the Minister also keep Members and committees informed of the progress of their work with the city’s affordable housing committee so that opportunities to align upcoming departmental business plans can be pursued? Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I will commit to the Member that, as I get information from the committee, I will share the information with the Members and get some feedback. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, everybody knows that housing issues are huge across the North and in our regional centres as well. Will the Minister work with the NWT Association of Communities and the city to see that the lessons of affordable housing are spread as we look towards the housing crunch that could result especially if there is a go-ahead on the Mackenzie Gas Project? Will he work to ensure that lessons learned here… I think there are a lot of hardworking voluntary efforts from the citizens and so on through the city, and our folks in the Housing Corporation get that. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to learn as we go along here and identifying housing issues that could have potential impact across the Northwest Territories, especially if, as the Member says, the pipeline goes ahead. There will be quite a crunch. It is always an ongoing issue with the Housing Corporation to always update our information and make sure we are prepared for any future expansion of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed probably to the Premier in regard to the reviews that have been taking place on the energy needs and the Power Corporation and looking at the affordability of energy in the Northwest Territories. I’d like to ask the Premier how soon we can have a debate in this Legislature where those documents can be brought forward and tabled in this House so that a public debate can be had on this issue and the people of the Northwest Territories can see where we stand on this issue and what it’s going to do to improve the power rates for the majority of the people in the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The work of the Minister in lead of the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee has presented early phases of the work to the standing committee and there are hopes that we’ll be able to put our GNWT response in as soon as, I believe it is April but I’ll have to confirm that.
As I said in my statement, I think this is probably one of the achievements we can make as the 16th Assembly by doing something that will really show results. I think we have to move on this. I think the people in our communities, especially the smaller communities, who are struggling to pay their bills these days, especially the ones who are now unemployed and looking for work. It raises the importance of high energy costs and finding ways to reduce them.
I would like to ask the Premier how soon they can come forward so we can have a debate on this issue in this House.
The response that we’re working on will have to come forward here. Any structural change to the way the rates are set up will have to come through this Assembly. There will have to be a debate. As I stated, the timing right now is looking at probably our spring session as an opportunity, but we’re hoping that if all goes well, that we could be looking at changes, if this Assembly agrees to them, before the next winter season hits us.
I believe that we do have to change the system and change an obsolete process. In regard to the legislation we have in this House, we have some outdated legislation regarding the PUB and the Power Corporation. I believe we will have to make some legislative changes.
I’d like to ask the Premier if he sees any legislative changes coming forward and when he intends to deal with them in this House.
The rates, depending on the full response we put forward to the report that was put out there, we know there will be some structural changes using our existing legislation that is in place. For further changes we will have to go back to Members to see what can take place. I know that in the response we’re working on we’ll come forward before committee and lay out a timeline for that discussion and changes to be in place and implemented.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Premier for that, because I believe it’s fundamental change that people don’t like. Like anything else with change, it’s human nature to react first before realizing what they’re getting into. I’d ask the Premier to move on this matter and keep the public informed on where we’re going. I think at the end of the day they are the ones who will determine where we stand on this issue.
