Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like a number of my colleagues here, I’ll continue with the municipal airport closure issue. Assuming that does become the eventuality, this is going to cause significant concern.
When I met with the mayor of Edmonton, Mayor Stephen Mandel, he mentioned that Senator Patterson, the senator for Nunavut, had written a letter expressing his concern about this particular issue. However, he did sort of only sprinkle light interest that the territorial government has played a significant role in this, other than the fact that he’s basically mentioned that he knows of their interest. He doesn’t mention anything about how they’ve taken a proactive role.
The primary point I’m getting at is that the mayor had suggested that quite conceivably the Edmonton International Airport may be the new venue for a triage where protocols will be developed. Maybe Star Ambulance will be based out of there in such a way that it will be responding to those emergency cases. Not at one time did he mention that the territorial government Minister of Health was involved in the development of that plan to make sure our territorial residents are protected and safe in those moments of need.
Where is the government on that particular issue to ensure that we’re on the ground level of that development and that particular issue? I’d like to hear her perspective.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think I can comment or respond to what the mayor said in his conversation with the honourable Member.
What I need to say is that while the decision to close the municipal airport is within the jurisdiction of the mayor and the city, the responsibility of looking after the medical travel issues is within Alberta Health Services and the Minister of Health of Alberta.
I am engaged in discussing with the Minister of Health in Alberta. My officials are engaged in directly communicating with her counterparts in Alberta. There is a quality council set up to work out a plan for medical travel. In fact, I believe I’m on record to say in the May session that one of the things that Alberta Health is looking at is a triage at the Edmonton airport. With all due respect to Mayor Mandel, I don’t believe he’s going to do the planning for medevac. It will be Alberta Health Services. We are involved with Alberta Health Services.
We’ve come to one of the main issues that seem to be the problem. It’s no different than this draft AIP problem and certainly with the health one, which is the fact of who is communicating our message to the government. It’s no different than when I had asked for plain language on the other issue. We need plain language on this particular issue to make sure that people know what’s happening.
What is the Minister doing to communicate to the public exactly the territorial government’s plan? What is the message by this government to ensure that the health care of all Northerners will be enshrined in any change or process that this will be protected? I tell you, the only person who is speaking out there is literally the public talking to themselves and the media sort of talking. But they need leadership and guidance from this government. Where is that communication plan?
I’ve said it many, many times and I say it again, and I don’t know if anybody… I don’t know. I’m on record on many, many occasions to say we are engaged. I am talking to Alberta Health Services. I am talking to the Minister of Health of Alberta, who is directly in charge of medevac services in Alberta and provision of services in Alberta facilities. The Premier has conveyed the government’s position to the mayor. My deputy minister is in communication with the assistant deputy minister of Alberta. We have a commitment from Alberta government that we are going to be part of the plan. We are engaged. We are working on this issue. I will say it a hundred times again: The public has every right to know and I want to assure the public that we consider this a very, very important issue. We’ve been involved in this for two years. I don’t know what else to say to the Member if he keeps saying he’s not hearing. I am saying we are engaged.
I’d like to know what the Minister of Health and Social Services has negotiated on the public’s behalf and I think the public deserves to know what the Minister has negotiated on their behalf. Furthermore, I think the public likes to see the proof of that, what they’ve done and created as a plan that will ensure that the health care for northern residents across the Territory will be protected and treated as a priority.
The plan is in the works. The plan is being worked on. We are being consulted on the plan. The Premier of Alberta set up the quality council. Our Premier was engaged, as well, at his level. I am engaged with the Minister of Health in Alberta. We have two years before the last runway closes. Mayor Mandel has said that the runway will be open until we have a plan. The Premier of Alberta said that. We are engaged. I have talked to the federal Minister of Health. I have talked to Minister Ambrose, who is the Minister responsible for Northern Alberta. I want to assure the public that we are totally engaged in this file, that we are talking at all appropriate levels, and we are committed to making sure that our northern perspective is heard when that plan is being finalized. It will take a while to finalize that plan.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve heard plan, plan, and plan. The fact is we can plan until we’re blue in the face. The fact is we want to know, I want to know, the public wants to know what the GNWT is supporting. Are they supporting the closure of the municipal airport? At what cost are they supporting the closure of the municipal airport? Are they supporting it in the context that there will be a triage built? What does that actually mean to me? What does it mean to the Assembly? What does it mean to the general public? What is the GNWT supporting in this possible eventuality? That’s the type of detail. What are you negotiating, what are you planning, and what is the GNWT’s position? Do they support this and why?
The question is not whether or not we support or do not support what a municipal jurisdiction in another province is doing. What we are doing is we’re going to look after the patient safety of our northern residents. That’s our job, that’s what we are doing, and I am working, as the Minister responsible, for our residents, to make sure that our interests are protected.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
