David Krutko

Does committee agree?

On another issue, as I mentioned in my opening comments in regard to this department, we have to find a solution to the apprehension of children and find a way so we don’t have 620 kids in care. We have to find a way to work with the families, work with the communities and work with the children to find workable solutions in our communities. I think it’s important to realize that apprehending children is not the way to find solutions to these problems. We can blame the parent; we can blame the community; we can blame society in general. But at the bottom of it all, a lot of it has to do.... We...

Does committee agree?

Mr. Cummings.

I’d like to ask the Premier: are we looking at also promoting other aspects of this government to get capital invested in the North from the federal government, more than the devolution?

Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Speaker, again I’d like to ask the Premier if he also can keep Members on this side involved in that process. By working together and also having a strong enough focus on this, I think we can make a difference. I think by lobbying efforts and doing whatever we can as Members and also as Ministers to keep this at the top of the agenda, it will move a little bit.

I’d like to ask the Premier: are there any intentions of developing some sort of kit or package we can hand out to promote this issue? As Members on this side of the House, it will help us to understand the issue and, more...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, the communities need to be able to reinvest the $360,000 that’s presently expended on children in foster care to those types of programs and services that reunite the communities, reunite our families and bring the communities together to work to find solutions to the problems of children being apprehended.

At the appropriate time I will be having questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Minister.

At this time I’d like to ask the committee responsible for overseeing the department’s reviews if they have any opening general comments or comments to the department’s estimates. Mr. Ramsay.