Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issues have been spoken to quite directly and a fair bit, are the potential changes to the extended health benefits as well as the Supplementary Health Benefits Plan. Mr. Speaker, in short, the Minister has offered to delay the plan to go out to further consultation. It does create a lot of fear and the worry is it predetermines. So I am going to ask the Minister clearly here: Is adjusting the time implementation, implementation time frame, just a delay tactic or what does she mean by getting out there to do meaningful consultation?
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms., Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first of all, it’s really important for the seniors out there to know that this government will continue to provide a package of programs that are better than any of the other comparable, competitive, very good…We have very good packages for constituents. As the changes are laid out right now, for a single income senior, if your retirement income is around $60,000 to $70,000, you will still get supplementary health benefits. I think talking about net income has missed that point. When I travel across the country and the Territories and tell them that most people say that is fair, that is a good threshold. The problem we have now for the seniors is that we’ve got a couple or seniors in a different mix-up, mix of a family. We need to improve that a bit. I have no reason to think that we are going to do any less than about $70,000 retirement income. I have talked to everybody who has called me. I have been talking to many seniors for many weeks now and 90 percent of the time, the coverage will not be affected. I am really concerned the lack of information or misinterpretation is giving fear to the seniors in a way that they should not be.
So, Mr. Speaker, in talking about public consultation, I mean it when I say we are going to have a good, meaningful consultation process. It’s going to be a two-way exchange of information. I have committed to be open minded and willing to listen to what seniors have to say. I think it’s really also important for seniors to know how these changes are going to affect them and I am committed to making sure they have all the information they need.
Mr. Speaker, one of the issues that took my breath away is the fact that I didn’t feel consulted in this whole process and when it was finally launched to the public, I felt that I was misinformed and didn’t have a chance to it. Now that may be as it may be, but the reality is I felt I didn’t have the full information at the time. So will the Minister clearly commit to this House that she will present the new plan or new policy before Members or some type of dialogue before there is any final implementation so we know what’s going out there and she has that type of support? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, people in the gallery and ourselves should know that it is a regular practice in this Legislature that any policy changes go to the standing committee for review and consultation. That took place with the supplementary health benefits in December of 2008, and between 2003 and ’07 this proposal went to the standing committee at least five or six times. It is consulted with NGOs and with the NWT Seniors’ Society as well as the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society. So I understand that the depth and breadth of consultation is not as good as what people would like to have and I have committed that we will go back and we will continue on with the consultation.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister did allude to it in a certain way. I just want to make sure that it’s absolutely clear and on the record, income threshold, when it comes to a couple of needs to be revisited in recognition of the cost of living and whatnot. So will the Minister make sure these are clearly on the record, that these are the types of things that would be looked at and considered in this consultation? Thank you.
Absolutely.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although the deadline target has been set and, in my view, I thought I got an answer yesterday that said if consultations were required beyond that, the deadline would come off. I just want to make sure it’s clear again in that spirit, if consultation hasn’t been fully fulfilled, due to weather, it’s summer, or they aren’t getting enough participation, people’s schedules are busy, will the Minister be clear today in this House to say if more time is needed not to rush this policy out to market? Will she say she will move the date if necessary to fully comply with fair consultation? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, given the level of interest and the communication that we’ve been receiving from the public on these changes, I have a feeling that we are going to be able to seek and get input from the public as well as stakeholders to these programs. The department plans to have information sessions in all of the regional centres. We are going to do a full and meaningful consultation. The end date is to have it done by September 1st, but as I stated before, the important part of this exercise is to do the right work and we are committed to do that.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
