Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the first day of this session I had an interesting exchange with the Minister of Health and Social Services on the need for an independent board to watch over the operations of the Stanton Territorial Hospital. Mr. Speaker, all public hospitals in Canada have independent public boards. On the face of it, using the Joint Leadership Council, which is made up of the chairpersons of the health authorities, ensuring regional perspectives are brought to the table is a great idea. I think it’s an efficient use of resources, boards and administration, Mr. Speaker.

However, what concerns me about the current workings of the Joint Leadership Council is the total control exercised by the Minister of Health and Social Services. This is fine when the Minister is using them for discussion or as a sounding board for the development of new policies, systems or programs, but not when he comes to oversee the working of the NWT’s largest hospital, Mr. Speaker. I know of no other provincial hospital in this country that the Minister of Health and Social Services in that province sits as chair of that board. It raises the question, Mr. Speaker, does our Minister have nothing better to do?

I can agree with the Minister’s ultimate position where he is overall in ultimate authority and the discussions of his department and the authorities that he has to do final approval over. But what about the final arbitration when it comes to the board? What about challenges of discussions that arise? Who ultimately oversees that problem? So, Mr. Speaker, there is the problem.

The government is a system of checks and balances and, in the case of this department and its authorities, there is a distinction between the roles of the department and the authority plays. The authorities have some leeway in their regions to develop and deliver their own programming, as long as they meet the minimum service standards that are set out by the department, again overseen by the Minister. It is then the department’s role to ensure that the service delivery targets are met in a fiscally responsible way that meets the health care needs of all our northerners.

With the Joint Leadership Council being the defacto board for Stanton and, as far as anyone can tell, a creature whose agenda inputs and outputs are controlled by the Minister’s office, I really have to wonder, Mr. Speaker, about their independence and maybe even their relevance. So, Mr. Speaker, as I said, the Minister has said before he bears ultimate responsibility and being the final decision-maker…

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. As I said, the Minister has the ultimate responsibility of his department and the authorities. I believe if he chairs the Stanton board the Minister could be perceived as being in a position of conflict where he cannot show objective thinking where it may be compromised in their discussions. That will lead us nowhere and yet it will make the board look silly.

What does he really want, Mr. Speaker? He should be Minister, which he’s appointed to now. The role of the board is to provide strategic direction to ensure regional perspectives are brought to the table. The Joint Leadership Council, I’m not against the concept of appointing it to the board of Stanton, but, Mr. Speaker, we need checks and balances, a fair chair, an independent chair, and I don’t believe the Minister’s thought this out and I will have questions for him later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause