Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a written question for the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding contract information with the Government of Nunavut. Please provide the following information in detail for the past three years:

How many people work in the speech-language pathology and occupational therapy unit; and further, what are the staffing levels historically, noting duration of any vacancies?

How long has this unit been providing speech and occupational therapy services to the Government of Nunavut?

Please provide the details of the contract with the Government of Nunavut, such as...

I’m finally really glad to say that I can agree with the Minister in the sense of this being a federal responsibility. I’m glad the day has come that we both see eye to eye on this issue.

The program provided through the Ministry through Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority goes down to the NWT Council for Persons with Disabilities. Right now, as I understand it, there are 14 people on that list providing services only a couple of hours a week. Furthermore, there are 14 on the waiting list.

The issue really is, where is the framework and policy to develop this concept, to make sure...

Mr. Speaker, I want to continue with the autism questioning. I just want to be clear, to make sure that everything gets on the record so parents can get access for their children for services.

As I highlighted earlier in my questions about the limited ability to receive speech and OT therapy, I wasn’t 100 per cent clear on the fact that…. Can parents access funding through the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority to obtain speech and OT therapy in the community, if it’s available and in the community to access?

I have three items I would like to table.

The first item is entitled parliamentary information research on the Provincial and Territorial Funding Programs for Autism Therapy paperwork.

The second item is entitled A System of Care for Children with Autism, expert panel report. It’s from Alberta Children’s Services, September 2002.

The third item is entitled Resources Available for Children with Disabilities.

Document 68-16(2), Provincial and Territorial Funding Programs for Autism Therapy, tabled.

Document 69-16(2), A System of Care for Children with Autism, tabled.

Document 70-16(2), Department...

I wasn’t sure what part of the yes was part of the answer. The issue really is infrastructure projects under the Government of the Northwest Territories. If they go over time or over budget, the construction groups that usually develop those projects are the ones that get the bad rap. I think they can be part of the solution. I just want to make sure, when we look at this aspect of timing, from design to implementation and development of these infrastructure projects, that these groups are included.

If the Minister could just make it clear that, before any policy is set in stone, he will...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of our problems with our capital projects is that they quite often will go over budget and run over the time schedule. Some of the things that have been identified are making amendments to our policies and trying to figure out how to run it a little more efficiently and certainly spend better dollars. I’d like to ask the Minister of Public Works and Services: have they done any work on developing a policy to meet that end?

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize a friend, Steven Veness. He’s up there with Tricia Melanderford.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a written question for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

Would the Minister provide all the details and information garnered by way of consultation and research use to develop a policy specific for treatment offered to children with autism?

Would the Minister provide such policies developed and used by the Department of Health and Social Services specific to the treatment and care of children with autism?

Would the Minister provide all details specific to working arrangement and agreements with service organizations and other governments that...

It was important to get that on the record, because I want to ask the Minister: what is he doing for public consultation to ensure that we’re getting good products out there? Has he made any efforts to contact the Association of Architects, the Maytag organization, the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, as well as the NWT Construction Association and finally the Arctic Energy Alliance? What work has he done to consult with these organizations to help work in partnership to deliver better product, more efficient product...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my Member’s statement today, I’m concerned about children with autism and the service levels that are what I and the parents in the city would describe as non-existent. There are services provided by service agencies, but they’re not specific to autism treatment. My question to the Minister of Health and Social Services is: what is the policy and framework that the Department of Health and Social Services operates under specific to autism? What exists in place today?