Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to also take a moment, even though they're not in my riding, to recognize Felix Lockhart, Rhonda, grandson Tristan, and even though she's not here physically, I'd like to recognize Sandra Lockhart. She was one of my best friends and, while she was ill at the end, I told her to write her stories and what I did get was I got to read her last published story in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Inquiry Report, and I will treasure it forever. So, Sandra, you're not here physically, but you are here in my heart forever. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to acknowledge Lesa Semmler, there, the niece of a good friend of our family, and former community leader Felix Lockhart. Mahsi.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize Lesa. We went to Samuel Hearne together. I wish you all the best in the upcoming election. Also Robert Bouchard, the former MLA. It's good to have him here. It must be election time; just kidding. It's good to have him. We became good friends in the last Assembly, and it's always good to see him. Thank you.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize a member of the Fab Five, Mr. Robert Bouchard. I'm very proud to recognize Felix Lockhart; he's a good friend. I express my condolences to his family. In a previous life, I met Felix through the Dene Nation movement. He was the vice-chief for Akaitcho and I also served as the vice-chief for the Dehcho. That's how we met, and it's been great knowing him and continuing to know him and I express my deep condolences to his family. Welcome to the Assembly. Mahsi.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's my pleasure to welcome a Page to the Legislative Assembly, Taylor Schear, who lives in Yellowknife Centre and goes to school at K'alemi Dene School. I'd like to thank her and all the Pages who are giving up some of their summer holidays to work with us here this week and next. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to welcome former Chief Felix Lockhart, as well. I know Sandra was a good friend of ours, and thank you for being here, as well as my friend Arlene Hache. We've all had some good interactions in the 90s working together. Also to my high school friend Lesa Semmler. I'll maybe say this to both Lesa and Arlene. You know, Mr. Speaker, there are times when individuals help with the progress of government and self-governments, whether it be in health and wellness or other departments of the government, and in Inuvialuit, I'm speaking mainly, Lesa has helped Inuvialuit progress toward self-government, so I'd just like to recognize that and wish Lesa luck in the upcoming elections. Thanks for being here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Frame Lake.
Monsieur le President, I would like to recognize Felix Lockhart, as well. He conducted sort of an informal interview with me in about 1986 in the restaurant of the Pinecrest Hotel in Fort Smith. I had just started with the Dene Nation. Somehow, I think I passed the quiz and I'm still here. Condolences to Felix and his family for the great contribution that Sandra made to all our lives. Merci.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Robert Bouchard, a fellow Hay Riveran. He did recognize me in the House, and now I'm returning the favour. Welcome to the House, one of the Fab Five, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Justice. We have been discussing the need for new approaches to reporting sexual assault through much of this Assembly, and earlier this week the Minister tabled a letter to me about our most recent round of questions and answers in June. Today, I have some follow-up questions. The department planned to hear from stakeholders in mid-June. Can the Minister tell us about the outcome of that meeting? Mahsi.
Masi. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can advise that the meeting referred to did take place in mid-June and was well attended. The department is in the process of finalizing a document on what was heard and outcomes from the two-day meetings. I do not yet have that document, but, as I say, I believe the meeting was successful dealing with these very important issues.
I look forward to seeing the document when it's complete. My next question is whether any of the participants disagreed with finding a way to establish third-party reporting of sexual assault and third-party review of police handing of complaints.
As I mentioned, the meeting was well attended. I am not in a position to answer the question of the Member opposite at this time, simply because I do not know.
Thank you to the Minister for that response. Given what the Minister does know, what is the status of this issue now that this Assembly comes to an end? How will it be carried over?
As I said, the department is in the process of finalizing a document as to what was heard, and, that document, I can commit to sharing that document. Ultimately, the document may be tabled. However, that would require it to be translated, as I understand it, I am informed, into French, and that probably would take place in the next Assembly.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for that information. My understanding, then, is that we will see something before the end of this Assembly. Do I have that right?
I do not know whether I can make that commitment. I will get back to the Member, however, after speaking with the department. Thank you.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Tuesday, the Minister of Infrastructure said, "What BC is trying to do, I am not even sure if they are doing it. I have to double check." Can the Minister tell us if he or his department has reached out to BC government on how they deal with out-of-province contractors? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. After our conversation the other day, I talked to my assistant deputy minister, and she is in conversations with BC, and we are actually gathering some more information on internal trade on this issue.
I am hoping the Minister can share that with me when he gets it together. Mr. Speaker, the Minister also quoted, "I have a lot of opportunities to speak to different people about BIP." Has the Minister spoken to northern contractors, specifically those in the southern part of the NWT, about their concerns regarding the new way the Business Incentive Policy has been implemented?
For the last three years that I have had this file, I have very limited conversation with industry around the BIP policy, as I said. In particular in the Member's riding, I cannot recall any of the major contractors in his region reaching out to me and having a discussion about it.
The Minister said, "A lot of people do not understand our BIP adjustment is subject to [the] Canadian free trade agreements and international [...] agreements." Can the Minister advise us how BIP has an impact on the Canadian free trade and international agreements moving forward?
When we are negotiating these agreements, internal trade or external international trade agreements, BIP is something, to put in simple terms, that we try to protect for the residents of the Northwest Territories. These things are negotiated through reciprocity agreements, and some provinces do not like the fact that we have this, in particular a couple of western provinces that are totally against it. However, we have been able to negotiate them into it to protect northern businesses and residents.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the Minister providing the answers to us here today. I realize the Minister thinks that the BIP policy is probably one of the best policies that the Government of the Northwest Territories ever created. I would have to agree. It is a great policy in the original state. However, it has been changed to what some northern contractors that I have talked to don't think is a great policy, and we are seeing more and more southern companies come north and taking away contracts and jobs. Will the Minister be willing to look at the policy that was originally in the books and try to bring it back forward?
As I have said and I have said it a number of times in the House, I believe BIP also is the best policy the Government of the Northwest Territories has done around economic opportunities to protect residents and businesses in the Northwest Territories, but that is not something that I can have a look at here in the remaining days of this government. We actually only have two weeks left. If that is a priority brought forward by the next 19 Members of this Legislative Assembly, the Minister of ITI will certainly have to have a look at it. That is a discussion to take place in the 19th. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I pointed out in my statement earlier today that there have been a number of instances in which serious and not uncommon medical conditions are not eligible for healthcare supports under the specified disease conditions list through the extended health benefits program. The latest instance brought to me of non-coverage was with regard to autism. I mentioned how the NWT Autism Society has produced legal analysis that claims that non-coverage of these conditions is discriminatory. I would like to know from the Minister whether his office has had a chance to review this brief and what is the government's position on whether exclusion of some conditions from the specified disease conditions list is discriminatory. What is the government's position on whether exclusion of some conditions from eligibility under the specified disease conditions list is discriminatory? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. The Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for clarification, autism is covered currently by the Extended Health Benefits program. However, we recognize that the Extended Health Benefits Policy is outdated and that we face issues with how the current eligibility criteria for the program are structured. A comprehensive review of the supplementary health benefits programs is underway. Some preliminary work has been done to determine what other jurisdictions have done to identify disadvantaged groups for increased supports. Moving forward, the department will be examining all aspects of need, to ensure distribution of our limited resources is not discriminatory.
Thanks to the Premier for clarifying that autism is covered. I know when I talked to people here in Yellowknife, when they called to find out whether autism was covered, the frontline staff said it was not, so there seems to be some confusion here. Regardless of the government's position on whether autism is covered or not, I would like to know from the Minister: does a comprehensive list exist of what's covered under the specified disease conditions, and will the Minister table that list in this House?
There is a publicly available list of specified disease conditions, and this list is available on the Health and Social Services website. Over the years since 1988, the department received a number of requests that did not fall under the specified disease conditions schedule. Over time, exceptions were made to provide coverage for disease conditions that were not on the list, and, at one point, there were an additional 25 disease conditions being covered on an exceptions basis. In 2010, the department went forward to Cabinet to get approval for an additional 10 disease conditions to be included on the list. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want to thank the Premier for that information. There seems to be some confusion about what's covered and what's not, but I understand from what the Premier said that there is a review that may have started, failed efforts in the past to review the extended health benefits programs, including the specified disease condition list. I would like to ask the Premier: what's the holdup, and when will this review really commence?
As you know, the cost of pharmaceuticals is an ever-growing cost for the Government of the Northwest Territories and has enormous implications for the sustainability of our supplementary health benefit programs. When the Government of Canada began discussions with the provinces and territories on national pharmacare, we postponed the review until there were clearer indications as to Canada's position because of the implications a national program would have on our benefit programs.
The Advisory Council on National Pharmacare established by the federal government released a report earlier this summer on options for a national pharmacare program. The report was very broad and did not provide the clarity that would have guided the Government of the Northwest Territories moving forward. It is also unclear what next steps may occur, given the upcoming federal government election. It will remain important to align our efforts on supplementary health benefit reform with those occurring at the national level. We will need to wait until the dust settles after the federal election to see whether national pharmacare will move forward and what changes are coming before we make our own. Regardless, the work on the supplementary health benefit reform will be revived and continue into the next government.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. Thanks to the Premier for that. There have been a lot of anxiety and unfavourable reactions in the past to efforts to review extended health benefits programs here. I would like to know what kind of preparation work is specifically being done and how our stakeholders are being properly informed and assured that this work is going to start soon. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
