Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The recent tragedy along our highways has once again reaffirmed and reminded us about how important our first responders are. They are critical to the fabric of the Northwest Territories and certainly to the health of the people. It’s only in times when urgency is required we often think about what pillar of society that they play and that important role that they represent.

Not everyone has the experience and training a first responder typically would go through, and depending on where you are in the sense of where you’re located in the Northwest Territories as a first...

Sorry; calling it activity 500 doesn’t mean anything to me and I would be surprised if it means anything to anybody else, except unless you’re an accountant. I think it is important to say, on the record, as Members we don’t get allocations broke out by activity listed as their unit block, although I know from a coding point of view, when you implement it into the accounting systems, you would implement it 500 slash whatever. Just to let the Minister and the staff know, 500 doesn’t mean anything unless it’s money. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to come back to something that I was thinking about when I asked questions about the health and social services authorities’ administration money. I think it was mentioned that $1.4 million, I assume we are still talking about the same pot of money of $15.5 million but $1.4 million is allocated to staffing, sort of, compensation and benefits. If that’s the case, why wouldn’t this be further labeled or better labelled as a travel fund, and maybe if they could talk specifically around who accesses this funding.

Alright. Now, does this medical travel benefit here, adding all those numbers up, is that only reflective of what’s transferred over to Stanton or is that also in consideration to what’s farmed out to the authorities? When an individual authority needs to charge something to the medical travel budget before it gets on to the Stanton Territorial travel budget, would that be the global budget or is there a separate budget line item for all the authorities?

What was the reallocation? Would we find that corresponding difference somewhere else? Thank you.

Thank you. So is the whole sum total paid out for the staff, or are there other activities associated with the management and administration?

I appreciate the reminder of where that money comes into the system and then add it to the $16 million, which brings us to the rough total of the whole program of being about $29 million. I’m, I guess, really talking about the question of for what we’re responsible. Are we within the normal budget threshold of what we’re responsible for as a government? I’m going to ask, can we separate the third-party responsibility for a second, because it seems as if that is an actual cost, and I do have a separate question for that one.

If a little kid is out playing, trips, breaks his leg and has to fly to...

Just trying to understand, why would in-house respite be treated as a program delivery under grants and contributions? To me I think in-house respite services would be, if it’s a grant under grants and contributions, something we’d supply to some association or organization that does that. So why would we refer to it as in-house? Thank you.

Thank you again, Madam Chair. I’m wondering if the Minister can provide some details as to what activities are associated with the management and administration under the health authority administration, if he could provide a breakdown as to what that is. Thank you.

I appreciate that answer and, certainly, the forthrightness of it. Where does the additional money come out of? Can I get some help in the description of, sort of, connecting the dots? I mean, it must come from somewhere.