David Krutko

To the Schedule as amended? Agreed?

I don’t think we should be proud of a system where you don’t have front-line workers in communities — from nurses to basically having the basic services.

I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly why is it we don’t even have nurses in our community?

Does the committee agree that the consideration of the Department of Health and Social Services is concluded?

Thanks for your patience, Mrs. Groenewegen. On the sixth line under “striking out ‘89,752,000’ and substituting ‘88,649,000,’” we thought we heard you say $86 million. So just for verification, could you repeat that section?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services. It’s with regard to my Member’s statement. The question is: why is there such a disparity with regard to programs and services in the larger centres and the smaller communities?

Does the committee agree that consideration of the Department of Justice estimates is concluded?

Move to tab 8 in regard to the Corporation Act, 2007–2008, Bill 8. We’ll defer the Preamble and go to the Schedule, which is on page 3. Schedule 1, Part 1, Vote 1, Operations Expenditures, Total Appropriation for Operations Expenditures: $1,215,869,000.

Okay. Let’s do this again. Total Appropriation, Operations Expenditures, $1,216,972,000.

Bill 8, Appropriation Act, 2008–2009, Schedule, Part 1, Vote 1, Operations Expenditures, Total Appropriation for Operations Expenditures: $1,215,869,000, approved.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Health care in small communities is somewhere between none and non-existent. Basically, in most cases you don’t have elder care; you don’t have home care; you don’t have mental health workers or alcohol/drug workers. You’re lucky to see a doctor once a month or to visit a family physician — a doctor or a nurse — or in most cases, to have a family dentist.

Mr. Speaker, it comes down to a question of the disparity between the larger centres in regard to care facilities and walk-in clinics; being able to have dental care in clinics; but more importantly, having elder care...

So we can move to page 6-11, Volume 2 of the Main Estimates, Infrastructure, Investment Expenditure. This is the Department Summary, Department of Justice, page 6-11, Infrastructure Acquisition Plan, Services to the Public, Total Department: $1.307 million.

Department of Justice, Infrastructure Acquisition Plan, Services to the Public, Total Department: $1.307 million, approved.

Does the committee agree that we’ve concluded the department estimates of Volume 1 and Volume 2? Does the committee agree that we have concluded consideration of Tabled Document 37-16(2)?