Wendy Bisaro

Does the Minister of the Executive already know the areas that will be targeted for the 2011 budget? If so, will he let Regular Members and the public know? I say again, for the sake of transparency, this kind of information must be shared and I will have some of these questions for the Minister of the Executive at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a number of comments and they are general. I am generally pleased with the budget as it has been presented.

I think, as I stated earlier in my Member’s statement today, I approve of the fiscal strategy that we’re following. I think that we did need to maintain our spending in the fiscal year that we’re currently in and I think that we need to maintain that spending over the next fiscal year to try and counteract the effects of the downturn in our economy nationally. I believe that we need to maintain the spending levels over this next fiscal year in order to do...

I thank the Minister for his response. He’s mentioned that there are a number of projects underway and I guess as an aside I have to say that I find it difficult to believe. I know there’s a lot of work that’s required when you investigate a particular program area and I appreciate that the background work is being done, but it’s hard for me to believe that there’s only been one project in the last 12 to 13 months which has come to fruition. But I’d like to know, the Minister has mentioned that there are a number of things in the works and he’s suggested that they’re going to have an impact on...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask a few more questions of the Minister responsible for the Executive in relation to the program review office. The Minister mentioned in one of his responses that Regular Members did not take advantage of the opportunity to sit on the Refocusing Government committee and I have to say that I’m dismayed to hear that any sharing of information is contingent upon the fact that Members are not part of that committee, but that shouldn’t be the case, Mr. Speaker. Whether or not there are Regular Members on that committee should not inhibit any sharing of...

The Minister has mentioned the Refocusing Government committee. He also mentioned that the results of the inventory that this office is doing is going to Members. Again, I have to state that very little of that information is getting to Members. I appreciate that a review is coming, that a briefing is coming. I only learned about that this morning. So I’m having a little difficulty that in a year or more we’ve only had one firm report on what this office has been doing. I’d like to know from the Minister why the information is not available to Members on a regular basis and whether or not… Oh...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I spoke in my Member’s statement about the program review office, which sits under the Department of the Executive. That office has been up and running for some 18 months to two years, and I know that office is doing good work. We’ve seen the results, some of the results. But as I stated in my Member’s statement, there is a distinct lack of sharing of the activities of this office. So I’d like to ask the Minister what projects has this office undertaken since it was established approximately two years ago. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, we’ve heard the Minister’s 2010 budget address and the main estimates have been tabled in the House. As I listened yesterday, I was struck by a particular statement in the Finance Minister’s address. He said that we’ll have to return to, “a sustainable path,” and, “maintain a tight rein on spending in the fiscal year following this new budget.”

I support our current level of spending and I support the same level of spending for the 2010-11 year as it’s laid out in the budget. But I recognize, as does the Minister, that we will have to reduce or cut back our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Assembly embarks on budget debate and discussion following the Minister’s address, I want to use my statement today to address constituents’ concerns. I fervently hope that the 2010-2011 budget addresses these concerns.

Firstly, the Deh Cho Bridge is still a concern. It’s front and centre to us in the Assembly, but surprisingly many of the public are unaware that construction is steaming ahead. My constituents want to know how the change in general contractor will impact this project. They want to know if their tax dollars will be needed to get the project to...

I want to thank the Minister for the answer, but I think the Minister also knows that the Standing Committee on Social Programs has been intimately involved in this particular issue over the last year and remains involved and wants to be involved. I think it wouldn’t have been a disservice to the committee if... It was a disservice that we didn’t get the information, but I think the Minister should have given the information to committee who would have taken that information and studied it on their own.

I look forward to the response from the working group, but I would have rather had the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Services and I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask some questions with regards to the Supplementary Health Benefits Program potential changes.

As I mentioned in my statement, there’s been an obvious lack of information from the Minister or from the department regarding this very controversial issue, which we dealt with about a year ago. So at this point I’d like to ask the Minister when we can expect some information from her department in regard to the Proposals for Change and what...