Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I begin, I want to say they must have been serving Happy Meals at lunch time because there's a lot of enthusiasm on this side of the House today.
Mr. Speaker, Tommy Douglas would be rolling in his grave if he saw the changes to the extended health benefits to Northerners, Mr. Speaker. Health care is a Canadiana promise, Mr. Speaker. It's a promise all Canadians will take care of you in your time of need. Mr. Speaker, those folks in the ivory towers downtown in Yellowknife coming up with these policy maven ideas about how to concur and change the world at the expense of Northerners, shame on them. Shame. Health care is for all, and that should be a mandate of this government. It's certainly a mandate by me, and I have not ever heard of a Member say cut health care, take away. Well, that seems to be the government, Mr. Speaker. So as they chop up policies and try to find groups to support one policy over the other, it's a divide and conquer, Mr. Speaker. And I don't care what the old Assembly came up with as a policy idea. I don't care what they think this Assembly should do. It's this Assembly, the 20th Assembly, should be making choices about the extended health care.
Mr. Speaker, as those who have suffered through many problems, the burden is not theirs to share alone. It's ours to help them collectively. So as they see the burden or the financial tsunami of expenses coming their way, where is this government? No, it's takeith away, Mr. Speaker.
The report of What We Heard clearly said expand health care and drug coverage, Mr. Speaker. It said don't take it away from granny in Nahanni and give it to Tommy in Tu Nedhe; it said share, help, help, help, help others. But no, those people in the downtown ivory towers are turning a fiscal financial knife into Northerners. This is unacceptable based on the northern spirit of helping all, working for other, collectively working, working, working, because we care about Northerners, Mr. Speaker.
I'm telling you right now in this age we are living in and we're struggling with the cost of living, it is a slippery slope. What's next? This government goes from copay to private health care? Shame on this government, because I know they're looking at it, Mr. Speaker.
So let's turn let's not let this government turn the report What We Heard into what we're now ignoring. Mr. Speaker, I'll have questions later today for some lucky Minister. Perhaps the health Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements. Member from Hay River South.
