Today I would like to speak in regard to health and social services in the Mackenzie Delta. I know I’ve raised questions in this House time and time again, yet with no results in regard to improvements in services and, more important, promoting a healthy environment and protection of our residents and protection of our youth and our seniors in our communities.
When we have a shortage of nurses or in some cases where we have health centres that we build in communities and they’re not functional because we don’t have nurses to operate them, there’s a breakdown in regard to services being provided for aboriginal communities. I think it’s that type of reality that we live in, in most communities. Yet, Mr. Speaker, we continue to see deficits run up in our large regional centres. In the case of Inuvik the government has bailed them out to the tune of $9 million over the last five years, but no services have been in place in one of our communities. Tsiigehtchic hasn’t had a nurse in that community for over five years.
In the community that I represent the core programs that really assist people in the area of mental health — frontline workers such as social workers, in regard to nurses, teachers…. Those are the individuals that really improve the quality of life in our communities. People feel that basically by having these services at their fingertips, it does improve the quality of life in our communities. But when we have a system where those aspects aren’t there, it deteriorates to a point where people are living in fear, wondering: “What’s going to happen when I get sick? Do I have to find a ride to the Inuvik hospital?” What’s going to happen in regard to an elderly person who basically has come down with cancer and has to go back to their home community, not realizing that they don’t have a health care service provider in that community?
I think that this government has to take this issue seriously. It has a direct implication to the government by way of costs. If anything, the costs escalate when you don’t have frontline workers, and more importantly, the individual medical costs and transportation, locums…. People basically have to carry those extra costs. It has a direct effect.
Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Health questions on this matter later.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
