Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve got some questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services, as well, pertaining to the proposed changes to supplementary health. I guess, first of all, in listening to some of the comments the Minister has made back to some of my colleagues here on how this is working and how Cabinet is dealing with this issue, I have to take issue with the fact that she said Cabinet takes public opinion very seriously. Then the first question I’d have, Mr. Speaker, if Cabinet takes public opinion seriously and the Minister is serious about public opinion, why are you still intent on implementing this asinine program shift and change by September 1st of this year? Thank you.
The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The fact of the matter is we are trying to develop a program that addresses some of the deficiencies in the existing program, as I have laid out in response to MLA Groenewegen’s question. We have gone out and consulted. We have done analysis. I do understand that there are very differing views out there about how we should provide this program, to what extent, to whom and who should pay for that. So who should pay for that and how we should pay for that and such. So we have listened to those and we have analysed them and we have shared that with the committee. I understand that none of that information is ever satisfactory to some of them, and I understand that this is very, very difficult, but, Mr. Speaker, the Cabinet listens to what the Members have to say and what the public has to say. Thank you.
Thank you. I thank the Minister for that. The Minister states quite clearly that Cabinet listens to what the public has to say and listens to what Regular Members have to say. Then the obvious question is: will the Minister take another look at the proposed changes and defer the implementation date on these program changes? Thank you.
Thank you. As the Member knows, this has been consulted, and studied, and analysed. We have the final proposal out here, Mr. Speaker. My preference is to work with the Members and see how to make this workable. There was a question about the fact that MLA Abernethy raised, and I think MLA Groenewegen raised it too, we don’t want to have a system where everybody dumps their insurance. The program as it exists now, because we cover universally to anybody who is over 60 or with a chronic condition, we have a system where everybody drops their health insurance. We have one of the lowest rates of personal insurance holders in the country. The fact is, you know, we do income tax for all other essential programs in this government. Not housing perhaps, but we have income support, we have rental subsidies, fuel subsidies, we test the income on seniors’ fuel, Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of essential programs in this government already that we income test because resources are limited.
The fact of the matter is, we have a program where we are encouraging people not to insure. The last thing is this is the only thing where people could actually go elsewhere to get help before they come to the government, which you can’t say about lots of government programs that the government has to offer. Thank you.
Thank you. I heard the Minister say earlier during the proceedings that she’d be tabling a document called What We Heard from the Public and I think that’s all fine and good, but what the Minister should be tabling in this House is what the government intends to do with what they heard, and I don’t hear her saying that. It’s fine and dandy to put what we heard, but what exactly is the government going to do with what they heard? I think that’s the important thing here.
We talk about sustainability. The Minister says these proposed changes are to lend sustainability to the supplementary health benefits going forward and the health system in general. How could this be possible, Mr. Speaker, when we know the people are going to dump their third-party coverage? It’s going to cost the Government of the Northwest Territories more money, in addition to that in the area of administration of the program. How can the Minister stand up in this House, in front of the Regular Members and say the proposed changes are going to add sustainability to our health care system going forward? Thank you.
Thank you. Obviously government and the House hears the people and we make decisions and take actions according to what we heard and in the interest of all the people that we serve. I think we’ve had much discussion about that already. I need to answer MLA Ramsay’s question...and I just lost my thought. Sorry, Mr. Speaker.
Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given the divisiveness of this subject and the fact that it’s dominated the discussion here in the House, obviously we’ve had members of the public in the gallery the few days we’ve been back, the Minister has received numerous letters, we as Members have received numerous letters. Again, I’m going to ask the Minister, will she park the implementation of the changes until after the next territorial election and let the public decide? I suggested this to the Minister the other day, if she thinks she can get re-elected campaigning for these changes, go door-to-door in your riding and see if you get re-elected. That’s the true test of whether or not the public wants to accept these changes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Yes, Ms. Lee, sit down. I will disallow that question as I did the last time. I don’t think it’s appropriate to have those types of suggestions put to the floor of the House. Next on oral questions I have Ms. Bisaro.
