Floyd Roland

Mr. Chairman, I’m trying to be serious here, I guess, in responding appropriately to the Member.

The fact is, that as we’ve gone through this afternoon, a meeting is being held by the Secretary to the FMB with representatives in the Nunavut government. As well, we’re hosting the Northern Premiers’ meeting, with the three Territories coming up here soon. That will be another opportunity; I can have a side discussion with the Premier of Nunavut.

But the work has been ongoing; it’s not an introductory one. It is, in fact, to talk about establishing a new payment regime. That work was undertaken...

If I understand the question right, assigning responsibilities for delivery in this area to a department…. All of our strategic initiatives involve a number of departments, so we would have a key Minister working with departments and then a committee.

I would be prepared, as well as committee, once we sit down with Members — and we’re hoping to have that before Members head off after session here — to look at how we can structure that. I’m prepared to add that to the list, to see how we can formulate and make this work.

The breakdown…. Because it’s over a number of years and because we fund Health and Social Services authorities by block funding, we do have certain areas that money is allocated to, but there’s flexibility within that.

Part of it could be the different years. They may have had increased use of locum doctors or agency nurses or utilities costs going up. That’s one of the reasons FMBS has become involved in looking at a zero-based review and exactly how the money’s being spent on a day-to-day basis, coming forward with a plan and working with the Department of Health and Social Services on how we...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 4, 2007–2008, requests authority for additional appropriations of $28.205 million for operational expenditures for the 2007–2008 fiscal year.

There are two items in this request:

$10.9 million for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to record a grant-in-kind for the costs associated with infrastructure that has been transferred to community governments. There is no outlay of cash as the funds were expensed in previous fiscal years. The impact on government operations is nil as the department will record an offsetting...

Mr. Chairman, the fact is that through the territorial health and social services act, we deliver health care services. There were prior arrangements with Nunavut — an arrangement made originally when Nunavut was created. That agreement has expired, and then it became a regular business relationship, month to month. So that’s the process we would operate. We were operating within the Financial Administration Act and continue to do so.

Of course, we’re getting directly involved in the collections side from FMBS and will be working with the Nunavut government to come up with some settlement, as...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since I made that commitment to Members, we’ve had staff pulling the items together to see how we would structure this and some of the initiatives in that area that could be looked at. I’m hoping we can have something for Members, at least a draft form, to review and get some input on, if not by the middle of the week, early next week.

Not getting into detailed information that would relate to individuals — that’s best for another discussion we could have — there is some debt still accruing with the arrangement we have right now with Nunavut. As Ms. LeClair pointed out, we are working to clarify that and get that rectified.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Bill 17, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2008–2009, be read for the first time.

Our patients who come from the Northwest Territories go through our facilities in the Northwest Territories. If we can’t provide that level of service, then they go through to Alberta.

We remain current with our billing. There may be a lag time from time to time, but we realize, for the more serious nature of health care issues, we are staying current with the Capital Health Authority.

As Members are aware, from time to time we come back to this Assembly requesting supplementary appropriations — for example, in areas of physician services outside the NWT. There is a number of lists of areas that...

There’s a number of questions there. The issue of the CEO and taking account for what’s happening within a facility is one that is accurate, but the CEOs report to boards, and boards…. We work at arm’s length through the territorial health and social services act in delivery of that service. That is one of the reasons we have to look at the boards’ and agencies’ work in this Assembly and come up with another model for delivery if we can’t get a hold of what’s going on, or change the process we’re involved in, in this environment. FMBS has worked with the authorities, and we have come up with...