Sandy Lee

That would be a capital item and it would have to go through the capital planning process.

Mr. Chairman, I gave those on Friday. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I will look to see what we can do. Thank you. It is actually a real old internal document. I need to track it down and work with other agencies, but I will do what I can. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a program that we support and we agree with the Members that it does benefit and we would like to see them expanded as the financial resources permit. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, I would.

Mr. Chairman, we must work together with our residents, communities, governments and agencies to meet the health and social services challenges that we face, to help ensure a sustainable health care system for the future.

Today I am presenting the Department of Health and Social Services’ main estimates for fiscal year 2011-2012.

Across Canada and internationally, leaders are being faced with difficult choices around the sustainability and accessibility of health care. It is no different for us in the Northwest Territories. We know that we need to make...

The advisory group is not formed yet and so I will get back to the Member on that.

I just want to caution that we will, if that’s what the Member is wanting to know, definitely consult with the Council for Persons with Disabilities and YACL and other groups that are involved in this work. We need to make sure that eventually, at the end of the day, those are the groups who will be vying to provide the program and we don’t want to interfere with their ability to be able to deliver the programs. I need to make it clear that we will definitely consult with them to advise us. We will work with them...

There are employees of the department on the committee as well as NGO groups and regional organizations. Thank you.

No, Mr. Speaker. I think the Member should take a look at the responses. We have very positive responses to most of the recommendations. Thank you.

I do appreciate the Member’s question and I don’t mean to be in any way disrespectful. I just want to simply state that I agree with the Member and we are aware and we share the view that early intervention and working with children and families does help in many different ways, as the Member stated, and it has been a focus of the government to work in those programs. The Member is also aware that the Health and Social Services budget is under pressure, as are all others. We are having to work with a 3 percent growth in the budget, which is almost standstill. So my answer to the Member is that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later today I will be tabling the Government of the Northwest Territories response to the Standing Committee on Social Programs report on the review of the Child and Family Services Act. The act is a key piece of legislation that regulates many of our Territory’s programs and services for children.

The current act represents and speaks to this government’s values and beliefs regarding children. I believe the Standing Committee report focuses on the issue of enhancing supports to children, and their families and communities. I am pleased that the recommendations support...