Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will be voting for the motion.

---Laughter

I feel strongly I can make that commitment. I think an important factor to emphasize here, although it’s a side of this fundamental issue which is the fact that this $500 million debt wall is an arbitrary number set by an Order-in-Council by the Government of Canada on us. It has no basis or values, in my view, that speak to the fact that is a $500 million debt wall a reasonable debt wall for this government in its ability to pay. You know, it doesn’t speak to the bigger problem. I mean I support the motion, but the problem is...

I think the Minister cited the $15 million extra, and if I heard him correctly -- and I ask him to correct me if I’m wrong -- he said that would be charged back to the project under the regulations under Section 10. It talks about the ability to have money deducted from the cost incurred by the government from the amounts payable to the concession area. I’m wondering, that $15 million that was additional because of the change in the project and the project scope that affected the project’s financial bottom line. Is it that type of section that we’ll be drawing back that $15 million? So...

In reading the Deh Cho Bridge Act I noticed that under the regulation section when they’re drawn up, of course, it looks like Members of the Assembly need to be included in this process even for being kept up to date. That’s under one of the sections. It’s under 10, it’s not important to go to, but it’s under 10-2(b)(1) and I’m just wondering have regulations to this date been brought up or drawn up and have they been developed in any form or fashion. Thank you.

By and large can the Minister describe our payments as, again, by and large, self-liquidating to a large extent? Can it still remain to be seen as this is a project that’s paying for itself? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First off, I do support the principle of the bridge project. I certainly believe strongly that this is the type of infrastructure that needs to be built in the Northwest Territories. I also believe strongly when I had asked last month about why haven’t we sought federal government support, why hasn’t the federal government come to the table to assist us with this project. I think that seems to be a significant gap in this process that has been happening.

Today I tabled an article from a magazine called Bridge Design and Engineering. It is a magazine from the UK. It...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not suggesting that we create a medical travel policy because someone is flying down and they are getting a needle in their shoulder and we have to send the whole family to Edmonton to make sure that they feel comfortable. Mr. Speaker, I am talking about a situation whether it be this particular case or similar cases whereas these are truly life and death days. Every day is an important day. Every day is certainly a blessing. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to urgent situations as I am trying to describe in this situation, what is stopping the Minister from...

Mr. Speaker, it was probably very stingingly obvious in my Member’s statement, I believe, that a family should have access to their children throughout such a difficult time. I am asking the Minister what would stop her from developing a medical travel transplant policy that could reflect family values to ensure that there is family support ongoing through this type of process by allowing the extended family such as the other parent and possibly even the children from travelling down from time to time to provide much needed support through this medical process. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have two people in the gallery I’d like to recognize. First, I have Mr. Chris Bassi. He’ s the father of our very well-known assistant deputy minister, Sheila Bassi-Kellett. Mr. Bassi is a retired bridge engineer, of some note, and he finds the discussion today very interesting. The second person I’d like to introduce today is Mr. Neils Konge. He’s the father of young Jonas, the person I was talking about in my Member’s statement, and his son is waiting in Edmonton for a heart transplant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to use my Member’s statement to talk about the Medical Travel Policy in relation to people requiring transplants. As I’ve raised on a number of occasions, there needs to be a clearly defined policy with a specific aim to assistance for people who go through the medical transplant process. We need a policy that takes into consideration the real and much needed support of family members who should be there through this difficult time.

I want to now paint a picture of how disappointing the present Medical Travel Policy is and, in my view, how it is very...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve recently been informed that the radiologist contract has ended in some type of dispute. I’m not precisely sure if it was about money or technical expertise but, if I understood it correctly, people were brought up to provide that service. I’m certainly concerned that this may be putting Northerners at risk. It does cause quite a bit of worry, because anybody who goes to a radiologist, this is not an elective type of treatment, this is obviously for very serious concerns.

I’m wondering what the Minister of Health and Social Services can do to update this House as to...