Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to say a few words on the supplementary health benefits. Again, I come back to the principle of the 2,300 people that do not have coverage as we speak today and sit here today. These working-poor families, people who can’t afford to have coverage, are my main focus of this discussion here.
As we sit each day, each day these families do not receive coverage. That’s why I’d like this policy to see if there’s room there to continue moving with it. I understand, in terms of the benefits, that we’re going to be affected by some of the people in the Northwest Territories. We heard them outside the Legislative Assembly. We have seen them in the newspapers. I’d like to see at least one of the 2,300 people that are not affected come to this House here and sit here. They can fly down from the smaller communities or outside communities and sit here and talk to us face to face and say what it is like for them not to have this coverage, Mr. Speaker.
The principle of this is that we are doing this to see what is a benefit to all the people of the Northwest Territories. I would also like to know about the impacts of this if we are to delay or defer or scrap it.
We are looking for health care in Colville Lake. We have been crying for health services in Colville Lake for a nurse. How is it today that a young girl has to wait a day to get medical service out of Colville Lake with a broken leg in this 21st Century? We cannot have that. That is what I am fighting for, for basic health service that we have in this city here that is taken for granted. They can go to the health clinic. They can go to a consolidated clinic. We can’t even get a nurse in Colville Lake. People have to fight, yet we are having this discussion.
We should be talking about first things first, the basic principle of health care in our small communities. That is what I am going to stand on principle grounds for of this supplemental health benefit. If that is going to take away from services in my community, I’ll be damned if I am going to let this thing go. I am going to fight for the poor people. I will fight for the families. I will fight for my region.
The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to reflect on the tumultuous life of the 16th Assembly. Cabinet, Regular Members and the public have had fierce debate on issues such as board reform, the Deh Cho Bridge and certainly the supplementary health benefits.
Our first budget sent the public service reeling with the threat of layoffs and cutbacks that seemed to come out of nowhere. Earlier this week, the YK Seniors, in collaboration with the Union of Northern Workers as well as many other concerned citizens, staged yet another protest, an excellent protest against changes to the supplementary health benefits.
Mr. Speaker, these major issues, as I have noted, can be all traced back to significant policy decisions made by the former Cabinet during the last election period. That points to a glaring need to improve public accountability. Let’s be clear. Changes to the supplementary health benefits are not the invention of the 16th Assembly; they are a result of policy changes began in the 15h Assembly. They were moved forward by that Cabinet while they are no longer accountable to the Members of this House, by signing off such substantial government commitment and direction while the rest of us are completely unaware of this and while we are out face to face with the electorate. Something needs to be fixed, Mr. Speaker. Something needs to be fixed fast.
The next election is a little more than a year from now. If the 17th Assembly began today, it would already be faced with monumental challenges. They do not need added financial administrative surprises by the Cabinet and they definitely won’t want to get their legs in a trap or painted into a corner if this government signs them to a contract or passes an initiative while the rest of us are out on an election campaign that they are unaware of.
Mr. Speaker, I can’t describe the situation more than it is like a hornet’s nest that has been stirred up and it has been thrown into the Assembly and they have locked the doors, because every time this government seems to fix something, it makes things worse. My feeling is stop fixing things because it is making things worse.
The people of the Northwest Territories can’t afford the guidance and direction that the Cabinet does in closed doors while the rest of us are out campaigning. They certainly deserve better and the people of the North deserve better.
Mr. Speaker, the Supplementary Health Benefits Policy, among other issues, has taught us a very serious lesson certainly the hard way. I urge this government to commit to an accountable process that ensures no significant Cabinet decisions or commitments are made while the rest of the House is out doing its business during the election period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With a quick glance coming into the Assembly, I can see a constituent, Mrs. Ruth Spence in the gallery and it looks like we have a recent addition of Mr. and Mrs. Larry and Cappy Elkin. Welcome to the Assembly today.
Ms. Bisaro.
Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to welcome a constituent, Larry Adamson who is here today listening to the Members’ statements and up behind me is Jackie Walsh, assistant to the president of Union of Northern Workers, and Barb Wyness who is the public relations officer with UNW, both constituents of Frame Lake. Welcome to the Assembly.
Mr. Abernethy.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize two residents of the Great Slave riding, Lena Petersen, a former Member of this House as well as a member of the Elders Parliament, and Mr. Todd Parsons, president of the UNW.
Mr. Bromley.
Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to welcome my mother, Barbara Bromley, to the House, and her lifelong friend, of course, Ruth Spence. I would also like to recognize David Gilday, a resident of Weledeh.
Mr. Ramsay.
Mr. Speaker, I see a couple of constituents in the gallery today that I would like to recognize, Ms. Joy Watt and Ms. Donna MacEachern. Welcome to the proceedings this afternoon. As well, I see Mr. David Wind, Yellowknife city councillor, in the audience. Welcome to everybody else as well. Thank you.
I, too, would like to thank everyone for coming today and take the opportunity to take in this function. Welcome to the House.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the Sahtu, I rise today to acknowledge an important anniversary. On April 19th of this year, Mr. and Mrs. Aldine and Frank Perriott of Fort Good Hope celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. I invite all Members to join me in congratulating these wonderful people.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about an unaccountable legacy provided by the previous Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, the issue really is that former Cabinet has made substantial policy initiatives and changes that have affected the incoming government. Mr. Speaker, my question will be to the Government House Leader, Mr. Miltenberger. Would he be willing to address this issue and pass a Cabinet directive to ensure that no future Cabinet can pass substantial changes to government policy while there is an election period on? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Deputy Premier, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We, I believe, commenced similar related discussions when we all gathered at Blachford. That issue was discussed and the recognition that the June session, 2011, probably will be the last substantive session of this government, of this Assembly and the recognition of the period that the Member talks about. Those discussions, I believe, have already been broached. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my Member’s statement today, we have the legacy of the Deh Cho Bridge, the legacy of the board reform, and certainly the legacy of the direction that is applied to supplementary health benefits. As I said the day before, these are all issues that need to be discussed and reviewed; that is not the issue. The issue is substantial directions, as I have said today. Mr. Speaker, when can we expect the government to move on this initiative beyond the point of discussion or review or thinking about it? Thank you.
Mr. Hawkins, you are swaying away from your original question and your focus in regard to the transitional period of government. Could you keep your questions to that particular topic since that is what you originally started on? I will allow you to repeat your question.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When will the Cabinet be moving forward on some type of initiative that will stop them from making serious substantial Cabinet directions and changes while any government is out during an election period? Thank you. When?
Mr. Speaker, I believe that this is a topic that is before Caucus. As we look at gathering in August, an opportunity to come to an agreement as a Legislature on any related issues would be the appropriate venue. Thank you.
Thank you for that, Mr. Deputy Premier. Mr. Speaker, will the Deputy Premier be making a recommendation that this is an initiative that binds this Cabinet as well as potentially binds the future Cabinets from making those types of substantial decisions going forward? Thank you.
Clearly we’ve engaged fully in this process with the Regular Members and this Legislature has gathered around the table as Caucus and we will continue to do that through the life of this Assembly and we’ll be looking to sort out and agree on those particular issues that will be binding on us all.
Thank you. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve had concern from a constituent from Fort Simpson with regard to the new licence plate and I would just like to raise that with the Minister of Transportation. I just want to get, for his benefit and mine, a little bit more detail on anybody that wanted to continue on with the old plates. Is there legislation passed? Can the constituent continue with the old plates and resist the changes that are coming, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the intent of designing a new plate and having the general public perhaps have limited input as we went forward was to retain the shape, of course, of the polar bear and at the same time increase the safety of the plate and allow the RCMP to be able to view the plate under limited light situations. Our intent is to have all plates in the Northwest Territories replaced over the next 18 months. So as you come forward to renew your plates and have a new plate issued, we think we will be able to capture all the plates that need to be replaced by December 2011. So there is no ability to use the plate you have now. You can retain it. You can put it on your wall, I guess, or you can turn it in, but at this point we intend to have all traffic on the public highway using the new plates by an 18-month period. Thank you.
There is a segment of our population that really appreciates our old plates. I guess the question is: can he continue to use those plates on his vehicle after the implementation date, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.
I thought I had answered that question. Mr. Speaker, the intent is to have everybody replace the old plate with the new design, the new colours and the new plates we wanted to have on all the travelling public, all the vehicles on the road on our highway systems that are registered in the NWT replaced by 2011. So if the person is required to re-register the vehicle, they would have to get a new plate. Thank you.
The other question that people are wondering is why do we have to pay an additional 10 dollars? In fact, my constituent had said the spectacular thing about the new plate is we have to pay an extra 10 dollars, Mr. Speaker. Perhaps the Minister can explain why. Thank you.
That is a good question. Mr. Speaker, the company that we had a contract with for many, many years out of Edmonton gave us notification several years ago that they would not be producing new plates for us, we would have to find a new company and the equipment they were utilizing was to the point in the lifecycle that it needed to be replaced. At any rate, even if we maintained the old plate, the cost would have been probably either the same as what we’re charging now, $10, or more.
We’ve gone to new material. We are no longer using steel for our plates. We are using aluminum. We’ve moved away from the chemical solution we had to apply to the old plates, which makes these a lot more environmentally friendly. We’ve consulted with the RCMP and municipal officers to ensure that the plate will help us in terms of where we need the plate to reflect better, so the RCMP can see it in low light situations and you can also see the plate if the car was parked on the side of the road. So it would help us on that front.
We also worked with the NWT Tourism Association to see how we can use some of the branding we can use for tourism promotion with ITI and right across the government and see if we could make this apply to our licence plate. That’s how we came up with the word “spectacular.” From all our discussions, from most of our discussions anyway, the travelling public has appreciated it and most of the agencies are saying it’s a good move. Thank you.
Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
I’d like to thank the Minister for those answers, Mr. Speaker. Just one more thing is now we are collecting an extra $10. I don’t know how many registrations will happen over the next 18 months, but that fee can add to quite an amount. What is the plan for the revenue that they collect from the new licence plate fees, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.
There are roughly 30,000 plates that will be issued over the next 18 months and all the revenue that’s collected is intended to pay for the actual cost of producing that plate and that’s where the dollars will go. This is not intended to generate any additional revenue except for cost recovery. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I spoke of the urgency of getting house materials on a barge for Lutselk’e and starting some repair projects for elders in Fort Resolution. I’d like to follow up my statement with some questions for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me how many seniors are having their units upgraded in Tu Nedhe this summer? Thank you.
Thank you. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as of the 2010-11 update, we’ve had approximately 16 seniors within Tu Nedhe that have applied for and approved for different programs in the Member’s riding. I would like to point out last year, or the 2009-10 season, we had approximately 37 seniors in Tu Nedhe that were approved for one program or another. Thank you.
Can the Minister advise me if these clients have been notified that they are going to receive repairs from the Housing Corporation? Thank you.
All successful and unsuccessful applicants have been notified at this point whether they were accepted or not. Thank you.
Can the Minister advise me at what stage these projects currently are? Like by stage, I’m referring to whether the drawing or the materials stage or labour contract stage, just what stage in general. Thank you.
I don’t have the information available, but I will gather the information and forward it on to the Member. Thank you.
