Denny Rodgers

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll just speak to the motion briefly, Mr. Speaker. I do support this motion. I think it's another tool. It's a step in the right direction. I think, you know, our goal is to disrupt the flow of drugs coming into our territory, at our borders, in our communities, and also to help those who are suffering from the consequences of those drugs, Mr. Speaker. So, I mean, I listen to the statements from my other colleagues, and I concur, and certainly there are -- you know, we need to keep moving forward to things like addiction treatment centres and aftercare programs. But I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I spoke specifically to youth that are living in Edmonton, going to school in Edmonton under the age of 19 and not having the ability to get an escort to come down to attend medical appointments with them, whether that be a CT scan or an MRI or things that often we're sent out to Edmonton for. So I guess my question is can the Minister commit to revising section 6.2 to recognize that a minor under 19 years of age requires an escort or is provided an escort upon request? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know the Minister's identified that the medical travel policy will be reviewed. Can the Minister identify a timeline for reviewing the policy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about challenges facing our students trying to access health care while away at school. There are constituents in my riding who have children attending university down south and while the students are away at school, medical appointments are arranged in Edmonton. Mr. Speaker, sometimes you wait four, six, eight months for these appointments. These students, who are away from home studying, are required by the GNWT to attend these specialized appointments unaccompanied without any support.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize we are in a time of...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that consideration of Tabled Document 93-20(1), 2024-2025 Main Estimates, be now concluded and that the Tabled Document 93-20(1) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 93-20(1), 2024-2025 Main Estimates, and Tabled Document 111-20(1), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2024-2025. Thank you, Mr. Chair. All departments, if I need to say that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I do understand that. And, again, the concern is had the student been living, say, in Inuvik and had required to be escorted out, then there would be an escort provided, wouldn't be an issue, they would go out both the student -- and I know the Minister is a mother, so she would -- if she had an 18-year-old getting a CT scan, she'd probably likely to be there and not trust the 18-year-old to get the information he's required to get, or he or she is required to get from that doctor. So I guess my question is, then, can the Minister explain whether there's any...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I like the word get it right. I'm glad that myself and the Minister are on the same page there.

So then, Mr. Speaker, then, my assumption, then, is during the review that the Minister will be engaging with the public as well obviously as Indigenous governments with this process? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I won't be long. I just need a little clarity because it seems like there was a little bit of a contradiction in the answer. When I asked the question out of the $93 million surplus how much was not committed, the answer I got was $60 million was yet to be committed. So did the Minister mean yet to be tendered or yet to be committed?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a general comment, and maybe a question for clarity. I know initially when certainly the Indigenous government in my region, and likely others, received the federal housing initiative funding, there was a fair amount of work done in cooperation with NWT Housing. Units were built on NWT Housing land I believe, and then transferred for a nominal fee to allow the NWT Housing to add that to their inventory, list of inventory of public housing. So going forward and I know now, and I mean we've said it in this House that in my region certainly, you know, the Inuvialuit, I...