Today I’m going to talk about the most important issue in the riding of Yellowknife Centre. Those are the potential changes that are being brought forward by the Health Minister about the Health Care Plan and the benefits. Mr. Speaker, if for only a moment we could imagine what it was like before the Minister made that horrible announcement before Christmas, you would hear from our seniors that they felt respected, cared for, loved, trusted, supported, maybe even safe and perhaps happy in the North because they knew the government loved and cared for them. Once this announcement came, that put an immediate halt to those wonderful feelings of those people who put their trust in us.
Now the Minister has finally admitted she screwed up. So I would finally say we’re getting somewhere on this problem, and I thank her for admitting that. She says she will consult this time. I thank her for that, but what the fear now shifts to is what this consult means. The fear also continues on meaning will this be lip service? Is the department buying time? Will they listen? Will this be the same plan but with a new cover? Will the Members have a chance in a meaningful way to be involved prior to implementation? Will income thresholds be revisited in a fairer way? What about the cost of living? Will that be considered or will it be fraught with bias with a predetermined outcome that will never change anything?
Mr. Speaker, the fear is out there and certainly it’s internal with me thinking that will we get to where we need to be. Mr. Speaker, I expect that consultation means meaningful dialogue, hearing the voices, recognizing the vast petitions that have come in that have been laid before this House. The Minister needs to recognize the seniors are having difficult times keeping pace with this high-cost world and changing times that we live in. We need to make sure that they are shown dignity and that this new plan is clear and certainly fair. Mr. Speaker, respect is a hard thing to earn so I expect a lot of work brought forward by this Minister. I will have questions for her later today to make sure that we’re all achieving the same type of outcome, that we are taking care of our loved ones who need us most.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
