Yellowknife (Feb 14/03) - Northern premiers only want to deal with the prime minister when it comes to a new health funding accord.

Speaking at the legislature Wednesday, Premier Stephen Kakfwi said only Prime Minister Jean Chretien can approve the territorial health care fund -- the funding formula ignored during health care funding talks in Ottawa Feb. 4-5.

Premier Kakfwi: Seeking a deal that would allocate $20 million annually in new health-care funding.-

To hammer home that point, the NWT has told federal Health Minister Ann McClellan to stay in Ottawa. She was supposed to come North later this month to talk about health funding.

"It's not worth the long trip from Ottawa," Kakfwi said of McLellan's planned Feb. 23-24 visit.

"The prime minister has agreed that per capita doesn't do it," said Kakfwi.

"There's very little use in Ann McLellan coming up and telling us how we should implement the entire accord. We can't do it."

McLellan said during questioning in the House of Commons that it is her goal to begin implementation of the new health accord for the people of the three territories.

But it was unclear if McLellan was referring to the territorial deal or the per capita package rejected by all three territorial leaders last week.

The territories are seeking a deal that would allocate $20 million annually per territory in new health-care funding.

Kakfwi was outraged when the prime minister offered the territories much less than that -- offering the NWT about $5 million a year in extra health care funding.

During the opening session of the legislature Wednesday, MLAs praised Kakfwi's performance in Ottawa.

But some MLAs wondered if federal attitudes toward the North will ever change, visit or no visit by McLellan.

"Does the prime minister understand our unique challenges?" asked MLA Yellowknife South Brendan Bell.

"He gets the sad fact we only have one MP. The real question is, how do we make a change?"

Health Minister Michael Miltenberger stressed McLellan could still come North for a meeting if the prime minister approves the territorial health care fund by Feb. 23.

GNWT officials are in Ottawa meeting with federal officials on health funding.

Calls to the Prime Minister's Office were not returned by deadline.