Sandy Lee

Mr. Chairman, it was done internally in the department and by the program office, I think, in FMBS was involved as well. I think we talked about this three years ago. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my opening statement to my budget on Friday I stated a couple of programs that we are expanding to Inuvik and Fort Simpson, Healthy Children Initiatives.

Mr. Speaker, I think everybody here knows how the budget process works. A major initiative such as this will require significant funding and the timing issue... Their report came out after we went through the business plan review. The Members had a chance to have a look at this budget in January and the Members are aware that it was not part of that budget.

Mr. Speaker, I think it’s really important for us to state...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think I can safely say that there is no such thing as savings in the health and social services system. We’ve said many times that it’s about bending the trend, if you are lucky, and that’s what we are trying to do. Also to make sure that we look after the care and the quality and the safety of our patients. So a lot of the work that the deputy minister outlined are the things that need to be done on an ongoing basis for any health care system, but we also believe that it is a way and we use the Foundation for Change as the overriding sort of action plan and it is to...

Mr. Speaker, we approve the budget a year at a time. We are considering the budget for 2011-12. The next year’s consideration will go through the regular business plan process this May through September, I would think. Mr. Speaker, by then I am sure that we would have the information.

We need to look at the needs for nurse practitioners and all the other HR issues that the Department of Health and Social Services consider. As I committed already, my officials and the Department of ECE are going to continue to work on this issue, as they came to our attention in the last couple of weeks. Let me...

Mr. Chairman, I will see if that is available and whether or not it can be made available. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a lot of programs and funding that the department provides to communities, whether it be through authorities, NGOs, Aboriginal governments. Sometimes we get funding from the federal government. Some programs involve just working with the youth on suicide prevention. We do have programs that work with elders and youth. I would be happy to present the Member with all of the details that he requires. I don’t have it right in front of me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, that is the section where through this program we block fund the authorities and the Member asked what we were doing to improve the administration. I, as a Minister, work through Joint Leadership Council. We have regular meetings, we talk about all manner of things right from the budgetary issues, policy issues, working as a system, Foundation for Change action plan or whatever else is on the go. We seek advice from each other. So that’s how we work together at my level. The deputy minister is in constant touch every day with the administration, on delivery of services and so are the...

Mr. Speaker, there were two or three questions pertaining to the details of the employees being paid to attend such a program. I need to get back to the Member as to whether they were required to do that before, and get the information that the Member needs. I will undertake to get back to the Member on that.

I do agree with the Member that I did have information that that program is not available this time, the introductory one, because of lack of enrolment. I will get back to the Member on the two or three questions that he asked. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, it was started before I went into office. It was completed, I believe, around that time, three years ago. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I could say not what we are going to do, but what we are actually doing right now and what we have been doing for the last three years we will continue to do with the support of all the Members on the other side, we as an Assembly have made a full commitment to addressing the family violence issue. We have increased funding under the Shelter Stablilzation Fund. We have also expanded our Family Violence Program funding to communities where there are no shelters, so we have enhanced funding for those communities with shelters and we made funding available for communities without...