Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about the supplementary health benefits. I know that some of the Members may be surprised that I’m talking about this, because the Sahtu communities are a majority of aboriginal communities and maybe the supp health benefits programs are not such a great concern.
Sahtu people have access to First Nation and Inuit benefit programs administrated by Health Canada. Most aboriginal people consider that this obligation flows from our treaty rights as First Nations people. The provision of a medicine chest is an obligation of the federal government, and this obligation now includes coverage of costs for drugs, eye and dental care, and some medical equipment. Metis Northerners are covered by the GNWT’s Metis health benefits, which is an exact duplicate of the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program, except this is administrated by the Health and Social Services.
So what’s the problem for me? Most Sahtu residents have extensive coverage. Probably the huge majority of non-aboriginal residents in the Sahtu have coverage through their employer, the GNWT, the Government of Canada, the RCMP, Esso, Enbridge or whatever. Why should I be concerned about the supplementary health benefits? Because I want to see programs that are fair and provide to those people who are most in need.
We don’t provide housing to everyone who walks through the doors. We don’t provide income support to everyone who shows up at the office. We should be providing these supplementary health benefits to those who are most in need.
The Minister said that the income testing is a good way to determine that need. I think I can agree with that. If you’re 65 years old and have a large income, you can find coverage through private companies. If you’re 25 years old and a single mother with a child and you don’t have a job, then the government should help you with the coverage. That seems pretty reasonable to me.
I don’t want the Minister to return to the Members and tell us that she needs more money to provide new coverage to new clients and maintaining coverage to existing clients, or to tell Members that she has to reduce services in our small communities in order to provide the increased coverage in Yellowknife. I want her to make program changes to make the program provide services to those most in need of our help and not to cost the government more money.
Mr. Speaker, Members may not like the plans and the directions of the Health Minister, but at least she’s out there trying to work with the stakeholders in trying to get something done. Let’s do our part to get on with it and make the changes to these programs that need to be changed. The North is changing with our programs and needs to be changed now. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
