Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to follow up on my earlier questions. The Minister noted and keeps referring to the health care sustainability unit. Mr. Speaker, we have no way of knowing what recommendations will come from that unit. In the meantime, we have a system coordination issue with our existing services. The ISD team is a good model, and it's an existing model. Can the Premier or health Minister commit to consider whether to support to persons with disabilities could be provided by this unit? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. We need to have a Minister or a Premier; pick one.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was giving them the option of deciding who wanted to -- because it's kind of cross-departmental. I will say the health Minister for now but if the Premier wants to answer, I'd be happy as well. Thank you.
Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will step in here, as the integrated service delivery Yellowknife falls under EIA right now. So that program is essentially a pathfinding program where individuals who are in contact with a number of different government departments to receive services, whether it's income support and housing and social services. We have pathfinders there who help these individuals make their way through the system, which is not the ideal end goal that we want. We want a system where we don't need the pathfinders. That being said, that's what we have right now. And through our service integration efforts, we would like to get to a place where we're not going to need the pathfinders where service is integrated and an individual can go get a government service that they need and they don't have to worry about going to ten different offices. But right now, the integrated service delivery team is -- they are -- their workload is full. There's no additional capacity there to take on a very large cohort of individuals. I am not saying the Member's proposal doesn't have merit; I wish that we could do it but at this time we don't have -- we're not resourced to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the Minister's comprehensive and thoughtful answer to the question. I don't know how big the ask is. I don't know how many people are out there. I've had a few constituents reach out to me. It seems like the ISD team is a good fit for this. It's -- the service integration is exactly why I am asking for and why I've raised it with ISD. Can the Minister at least have a look into whether this is a possible interim measure while we're figuring out the health care sustainability unit for persons and their families with disabilities? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over my time overseeing the integrated service delivery Yellowknife unit, which was previously integrated case management in Yellowknife, or under the Department of Justice, I've had numerous opportunities to inquire about their ability to take on more and do more, and the answer always comes back the same in that they are fully committed with the work that they have now. That being said, I will go back, and I will have a conversation and see what comes back, but I expect that what I am saying here in the House of what I've heard in the past will be the same answer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Final supplementary. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate again the response from the Minister. And I am wondering if maybe something like the ISD team could be established in health considering how complex some of the files are that health system clients have. So if the Premier wants to consider a new team or an expansion of the team, it's certainly something I would support. So I would appreciate hearing from the Premier on that as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I would recommend that when there are proposals like this, they be brought forward at a point in the planning process that they could then make it into, you know, a future main estimate. So right now, we have the main estimates in front of us, in front of committee, and the money for the budget for next year is in that document, and there is not a line item for what the Member is speaking about. That being said, it's now on the radar and it could be something that is considered going forward but it would be, I am guessing, a significant investment of resources and personnel. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Premier. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
