Debates of October 18, 2004 (day 22)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions now are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, the Minister just returned from an F/P/T Health Ministers’ meeting in Vancouver. I understand from the media coverage that the federal Minister of Health was in attendance at that meeting. Not too many weeks ago, we were very happy and excited about information brought back from Ottawa by our Premier and Health Minister with respect to what was going to be more funding for health care in the Northwest Territories. Some of the areas that were covered were things like $150 million over five years for the three northern territories, some additional help with medical travel for the northern territories, and also some specific aboriginal health funding. When the Member of Parliament held a press conference with representatives of our government, with the Premier, on this, a lot of the details were yet to be concluded and worked out with respect to how that funding was going to look for us. So having returned now from this Health Ministers’ meeting, I just want to give the Minister of Health and Social Services an opportunity to share with us if there has been any more detail brought to some of those commitments which were a little vague at the time they were made. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Return To Question 240-15(3): Details Of Additional Federal Health Funding

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do have some more detail in terms of how the $150 million is going to be allocated. There is a $75 million travel fund over five years. It is going to be split between the three territories: 70 percent to Nunavut, 20 percent to the Northwest Territories, and 10 percent to the Yukon, which will bring our share roughly to about $3 million a year. With regard to the territorial health access fund, it is $65 million over five years. It is going to be split equally among the three jurisdictions. Our share will be roughly $4.3 million a year. There is also $2 million a year for five years for a territorial working group for the three territories and the federal government to have the resources to look at how we can better address the specific northern health issues that are out there. We are still waiting to get clarification on the territorial health access fund in terms of whether it will be a grant or a contribution, which could have an impact on our formula funding arrangement with the federal government. We are also waiting to get clarified further with the federal Minister in regards to the territorial health access fund, the basket of services that would be funded through that particular fund. The request from ourselves has been that we be given the money, we put it to our northern priorities, and we will call for it at the end of the year from a broad basket of agreed to services. It was really a positive step forward. When the Minister goes down next week, they will be looking for some further, more specific detail that lies not with the Department of Health Canada, but with federal Finance. We had a brief Cabinet meeting this morning, on the outcome of the weekend meeting. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 240-15(3): Details Of Additional Federal Health Funding

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess I’m a little bit disappointed in the fact that the $150 million was a separate fund for the medical travel, which I thought was over and above the $150 million but it looks like it’s been broken down. Was there a specific meeting of northern leaders to determine how this 70 percent, 20 percent, 30 percent was going to be split out on that $75 million pocket of funding, or did the federal government just dictate that’s how it was going to be? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 240-15(3): Details Of Additional Federal Health Funding

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the three territories, going back to when the agreement was first made at the First Ministers’ meeting, trying to anticipate some of these questions.

While we were in Vancouver we had the opportunity for a meeting with Minister Dosanjh and his staff on the Saturday after the regular meetings were over. From that the officials -- the deputies, from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon -- sat down with the assistant deputy minister of Health from the federal government and they talked about some of the detail that we didn’t get a chance to get clear with Minister Dosanjh at the Saturday meeting. It was done collaboratively. It wasn’t imposed on us by the federal government, but there was a general recognition that there are clearly more health transportation costs and medical travel costs sustained by Nunavut than there are from the Northwest Territories or from the Yukon. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 240-15(3): Details Of Additional Federal Health Funding

Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I realize the challenges facing Nunavut with respect to medical travel may be somewhat more difficult than we have here in the Northwest Territories, but we also have twice the population. We have the largest population here. We must have twice as many people as Nunavut, and they are getting 70 percent. Anyway, it sounds like it was negotiated by officials reminding us not to send…

--Laughter

It’s okay. I was also going to ask, Mr. Speaker, are we the point of contact for the aboriginal health funding that was announced by the federal government? Are we the point of contact for implementing and accessing that, as the GNWT? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 240-15(3): Details Of Additional Federal Health Funding

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in regards to the aboriginal health fund, the one step of progress that came out of the meeting with Minister Dosanjh and all the provincial and territorial Ministers was that the co-chairs and Minister Dosanjh and Minister Smitherman from Ontario, who is now the co-chair on behalf of the provinces and territories, are going to sit down with the aboriginal leaders that were involved at the First Ministers’ meeting, and meet with them to start the discussions about the detail of how this fund is to be accessed, how the money is to flow, and how it will be allocated on a contribution basis or will it be done a different way. So those questions have yet to be answered.

It was not clear; Minister Dosanjh didn’t have any further information, and that was the direction that was given to himself and the Minister from Ontario. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 240-15(3): Details Of Additional Federal Health Funding

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister for the update and the results of his trip to Vancouver. Inasmuch as it shares information with the public and the House, through the Assembly, it is a good thing. However, I just wanted to comment that I was a little disappointed this morning that all of the media coverage on CBC was quoting the Alberta Health Minister, Minister Gary Mar, and I would like to know if the Minister would make a commitment to put the same information and maybe more detail out to the public by way of a press release, as a result of his meetings. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 240-15(3): Details Of Additional Federal Health Funding

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, many of the legislatures across Canada are in session and what happened late yesterday was when we concluded our meetings, many of us had plane times booked so that we could get back to our respective jurisdictions in time for session. So the press conference was delegated as it normally is to the Minister, the two co-chairs: the federal Minister and the provincial/territorial Minister which, in this case, was the Minister from British Columbia.

Mr. Mar had the benefit of soon to be going up for election and was staying in Vancouver to visit relatives, so he stayed around and was there to provide his input on the meeting. I’ve also met with press this morning and I will be doing a 7:15 interview tomorrow morning with Randy Henderson. So we will be spreading this information as best we can. Thank you.

---Applause