Thank you, Mr. Speaker. February is Heart Month across Canada. People are raising awareness about our health, Mr. Speaker. I think our government is on the brink of a massive heart attack. Mr. Speaker, there are warning signs that a heart attack is coming, like chest pains, discomfort in other parts of the upper body, shortness of breath and other signs that I can compare to what I see going on right here.
I will explain, Mr. Speaker. Let’s start with chest pains. People are leaving the Northwest Territories. There are a lot of heavy hearts. This means less funding from the federal government. People are leaving small communities. To get between regions is getting bigger. Do you really think that devolution is going to solve all of these problems?
First things first, Mr. Speaker. People of the Northwest Territories are not united on this issue, Mr. Speaker. These things go right to the heart of it. There are other warning signs we need to pay attention to, discomfort in other areas.
Mr. Speaker, another warning sign of a heart attack is pain in other parts of the upper body. We see this in our education system. Students are graduating with diplomas that only means that they have to upgrade later on.
Mr. Speaker, houses are unaffordable and sit empty for months. Homes are falling in disrepair before thousands of dollars building and yet we haven’t been able to come ahead with the elusive dream of homeownership. We haven’t yet come out of our tents. We are actually going back into them.
Shortness of breath, or should I say shortness of cash, Mr. Speaker. Our financial forecast does not look bright. Revenue from corporate tax has dropped. The health care system is at a tipping point. We can’t sustain our costs.
We have a huge loan to build a bridge across the Mackenzie River. My and your grandchildren will be grown adults before this bridge is paid back.
Mr. Speaker, our GNWT workforce is aging. Not only will we be short on cash, we will be short on staff. Where are the qualified young people who are willing to take on the job when the senior staff retires? Who will gain the knowledge of our experienced staff before they go?
Mr. Speaker, it is possible to come back from the brink of a heart attack when people pay attention to the warning signs. They can get to the hospital on time, Mr. Speaker. Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation say that denial is cutting people’s lives short. Let’s face these challenges and work together to get our health back on track. Let’s give our people hope. Let’s give them something to live for. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
