Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for years there has been a cost-shared program in the Northwest Territories, which I believe exists in every province as well, called vocational rehabilitation for disabled persons, or VRDP. This program has been funded by the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories. It was designed to be available for people with disabilities and special needs.

Initially, there were committees in each region empowered to make assessments and decide on how funds should be made available. As far as I know, there is no longer a VRDP committee in the Baffin region. In fact, as far as I know, there are no longer any funds available in the Baffin region. I am told that monies in the program were recently used to fund a consultant, based in Yellowknife, who has developed an assessment tool which replaced the regional committee approach which had been followed for years. As I understand it, the diminished funds now available are controlled by this headquarters person. I am also told that the program in recent years was transferred to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, from the Department of Social Services. Mr. Speaker, there are disabled persons in my constituency and in the Baffin region who could benefit from the kind of long-term planning, counselling, rehabilitation and treatment which this program, in its initial conception, was designed to provide.