Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, following up on my colleague’s questioning. I, too, would like a commitment from the Minister. This issue has been raised, like I say, in several different formats, not only in this House, but other venues such as the Gwich’in assemblies and the Beaufort leaders’ meeting.
Mr. Speaker, we do have to show that we really care for the people in the Northwest Territories. We talk about healthy and vibrant communities. The critical aspect of that is to have service providers there to assist the communities to make sure they are delivering those programs and services. One of the key positions in the communities is the nurse. So I’d like to get a commitment from the Minister stating how soon can she have those positions filled in the communities of Wrigley and Tsiigehtchic so we can see that responsibility function fully for those communities.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are working on a project to look at enhancing nursing services in small and remote communities. We believe the proposal we have could shed light on what we can do and do services in other communities like the Mackenzie Delta. It is something we are working on with the authority. I have always stated in this House, Mr Speaker, that we are looking to enhance our services in small communities like Tsiigehtchic, but the Member also has to understand that we, at the moment, block fund our regions and we work under a system where the authorities share the resources within the authority to stretch those resources as much as possible. Thank you.
Again, the Minister’s answer was going in the right direction until she came to the health board and their authorities. This government has the ultimate authority. This House has the ultimate authority by approving the budget. We’re going through that process now. But also we have the accountability authority through the Financial Administration Act to ensure that those boards are spending the money where they’re supposed to and not running deficits year after year after year. I think as the Minister, you’re responsible for ensuring that other acts are followed in this position such as ensuring those positions are being fulfilled. It’s critical that the Minister carry out her ministerial responsibility to direct those departments to fill those positions in those two communities and ensure they use the money they have in house and not say we’re already spending money. There are tons of vacant positions in the Beaufort region that are not being filled and the dollars are there.
So when can we see those positions being filled in Tsiigehtchic and Wrigley and ensure that dollars expended to those communities are earmarked for those communities and those positions are filled in those communities.
The Member is aware that the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority uses every dollar they have to provide those services. Vacant positions don’t mean they have money set aside sitting in the bank. Vacant positions, in fact, mean more expenditures are required because they do fill those positions with locums and casuals. Mr. Speaker, the allotment for Tsiigehtchic, for example, are being used to provide nurse coverage because they do get nursing coverage for about half of the year, which is equivalent or better than what communities that size receive in other parts of the Territories and many of them don’t have a one-hour drive access. So, Mr. Speaker, the board is clear in their understanding that our commitment is to enhance our health care coverage in small communities and we will continue to concentrate on that. Thank you.
Short supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Again, Mr. Speaker, it’s a game of playing who’s got the money and who’s going to go get it.
The other thing is we are spending $285,000 in the community for social services and health care services in that community. The information I got from the Minister stipulates they spent $60,000 last year. Again, we’re short $200,000 for those health care providers. You don’t have a drug and alcohol program in Tsiigehtchic. You don’t have a full-time social worker in Tsiigehtchic. You don’t have a nurse in Tsiigehtchic. Those positions were all filled positions prior to division. I’d like to ask the Minister to fill the full-time positions. I don’t care where you find the money to supplement the $60,000 you’re spending now, regardless if it’s another $100,000, find it within, get the job done and, more importantly, get a nurse in these communities.
The Member knows that the Beaufort-Delta authority is in a deficit situation. There is no money for them to fund from within. Secondly, I’m not sure where the Member gets that we’re only spending $60,000 in Tsiigehtchic. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT spends a lot more money than $280,000 in Tsiigehtchic for health and social services. We have a full-time community health rep there; we have a full-time home support worker there; we have visiting nurses that go there for 89 days of the year; we have doctors’ services; we have a specialist service; as well, a social worker that goes there, Mr. Speaker. So there has been a lot of information provided to the Member in answer to his questions, but I guess it’s up to him how he reads that.
But, Mr. Speaker, as the Premier indicated, if it was my wish tomorrow, I would have a nurse and doctor and hospital and everything that everybody wants in every community, but, Mr. Speaker, we have a $1.4 billion budget. We already spend almost a million dollars a day providing health and social services to 40,000 residents and we are working at our backs to be fair and equitable and make sure everybody has access to health care, which we do in the Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Again, Mr. Speaker, it’s sounds like the Minister is a broken record and she basically blames everybody else but the person that’s responsible, which is ultimately the Minister who should be the one making sure that these programs and services are being delivered under the mandate that you have as a Minister, but, more importantly, not continue to say, well, the health authority has a deficit. Well, excuse me, if they have a deficit. As a Minister you should intervene and find out exactly why programs and services aren’t being delivered in communities and why they continue to run a deficit.
So I’d like to ask the Minister why is it that you continue to put the onus on the health board. Why don’t you use your authority as Minister and, basically, appoint an administrative officer to run that health board, like you’ve done in other cases, if they’re not doing the job to provide a simple thing as a nurse in the community? If they can’t do that, I don’t know what else we expect from them. So I’d like to ask the Minister, if you’re really serious about doing something, you have an opportunity to prove yourself as a Minister that you actually can accomplish something here. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Member knows that the budget we approve in the House, it is a work of our collective decisions. We work under a regional health delivery service model. I don’t think the Member is convinced of that. If we have any facts to suggest that, if we dissolve the board and hired a public administrator today, that that would get an enhanced…or have full-time positions in every community, I believe all of us would do that. Delivery of health care is much more complex. We have our challenges. It’s not just about issuing an edict tomorrow and say let there be. Mr. Speaker, we are faced with the challenges of using the resources we have fair and equitably to all of the communities. So, Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work on that. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
