Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We talked a little bit about community health programs yesterday. I didn’t have an opportunity to get into one of the subject matters that I consider to be very important in Tu Nedhe. That is the whole area of the issue with suicide in the small communities. I’d like to ask the Minister if there is anything significantly different in the sense of an increase of attention or programs or anything on suicide prevention in this budget compared to what was in the previous budget.

Mr. Speaker, my last question is the area of time frames. There is a possibility inside the devolution agreement that these sites could be just left as is for extended periods of time. Also, in the economic measures in the AIP, they indicate that economic measures could be accrued to Aboriginal governments. This is an opportunity for Aboriginal governments to clean up with the GNWT at the federal government cost to clean up those sites. Why isn’t the government insisting that the federal government take responsibility in a kindly fashion for cleaning up industrial sites established under their...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about future cost of the devolution agreement for the GNWT. I have questions for the Premier. Why did this government agree to an AIP that does not place full responsibility on the federal government for inflation and the cost of running the regulatory system? Thank you.

In Tu Nedhe alone, there are 25 waste sites. That’s not counting Pine Point and, of course, all the diamond mines are currently in Tu Nedhe and, therefore, these will require future remediation for sure.

There’s also the issue of cleaning up the more recent industrial sites regulated under the legislation implemented since 1984. The public cleanup required on these, the GNWT will have to pay for 100 percent.

I’ll be asking the Premier questions on this at the appropriate time.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, I want to ensure the people of Tu Nedhe that the Premier, in signing the devolution agreement-in-principle with the federal government, has thoroughly gone through some very important details. That is what the Dene leadership in Tu Nedhe want to know.

I’m sure that the Premier was being honest earlier in his term when he said that the work on the devolution agreement was on the backburner. Leaders in my constituency believed him and so did I. However, now the Dene leaders feel that the Premier has been working on the...

Does that mean that Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority will get the money for Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of Health on the follow-up to the child and family services response.

Mr. Speaker, there is in excess of $12 million in the area of children’s services. Will the Minister direct her staff to look at a program in the area of early intervention and prevention in as far as child apprehensions go? Thank you.

Another area that seems to have many long-term benefits and it’s kind of the area that today in my Member’s statement I talked a little bit about which is in the review of the Child and Family Services Act. It’s not just that. It’s the overall prevention in the area of health. Again, the addictions, apprehensions, the whole thing seems to have real long-term benefits. This is an area where I’d like to see the department step up more in the prevention. I’m talking about starting at a very low-grade level in the schools, promoting some good, healthy habits in the schools and so on. I think that...

I actually think that changing the policy would actually make us go too far over to that side, that I think putting some flexibility into the policy makes it easier to administer, actually, because of the case-by-case basis and the rough parameters of income and the nature of the issue. I think it’s something that can be developed. If we look at a policy change, it’s going to be something that’s going to take a long period of time to do, number one. Number two, it tends to put us in a box. That’s what most of the policies seem to do in the government. The government makes a policy and does not...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister tell me if she has had complete discussions on the possibilities of re-profiling the Health and Social Services budget to address the recommendations in the report of the Standing Committee on Social Programs as it pertains to the Child and Family Services Act? Thank you.