Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The department sent out letters to all the existing alcohol and drug community projects, and suggested three options for them to respond in terms of proposals for the 1993-94 fiscal year. The first option was the status quo, in other words that their goals, objectives and budgets would remain the same. The second option was one in which the board of directors for each of these projects might identify changes in their goals and objectives for the year. The third option was one in which the boards for each of these projects might indicate that, in fact, their goals and objectives were changing and/or their budget amounts were changing. Several projects have come back and indicated to the department that they are prepared to provide services on the basis of their 1992-93 funding level. Some projects have returned to the department indicating they wish to change and that there are increases being requested, and we have not heard from some projects as yet, either.

Thank you. General comments. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Mr. Chairman, since we are going to be trying to conclude the session by the end of next week, I would like to ask the Minister if she would make a commitment to the House with regard to advising us of the status of these programs and funding levels for the 1993-94 fiscal year? Thank you

.

Thank you. Madam Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes.

Qujannamiik. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you. I just have one further comment, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Minister -- and I have discussed this issue with her before -- with regard to one of the facilities she is responsible for, comes under the Department of Social Services. The facility is Trailcross. There have been numerous complaints from staff in respect to this facility. I have asked the Minister if she would consider a review of the facility, with regard to policy, management and the entire institution. I would like to ask the Minister if she has considered my request and whether a decision has been made with regard to this particular facility in which I receive numerous concerns on the practising, whether it be management's practices, the way employees are treated or inconsistency of policies applied. Thank you.

Qujannamiik. Madam Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I could have the facility reviewed, yes. Thank you.

Thank you. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That concludes my general comments. I have made most of my general comments in the Standing Committee on Finance. Thank you.

Thank you. General comments. We are doing the 1993-94 Main Estimates of Social Services. Are there any further general comments? Mr. Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a very few general comments and with to pose a few questions about Social Services. We spend $80 odd million in this department in O and M. So, it is less than ten per cent of our budget. The concern I have always had is when you look at how money is spent in providing services to this department, I have often wondered if we have ever examined in any detail the number of people or the percentage of the population that makes use of the service provided by that $80 odd million.

The other question related to that is whether we have looked at those regions of the territories, not only the total population, but the regions of the territories where we have the highest use of the services of that department. In many ways, those people are among the unfortunate, or the unlucky people, who need more assistance from government than others.

The third question is once you look at where the people need the service, and there are dozens of reasons, we do not need to go into all the reasons why people need the services of this department, what degree then to those statistics on the use of that service play a part in what the rest of the government does. In other words, if you know there are certain problems with the region, how much support do you get from other departments to try to recognize that there is a specific problem in this part of the population or in this region, so you can say this is where we need to have more economic development, et cetera? Does this play a part in the way government plans? The fact is we have certain portions of the population that are not self-controlled, self-reliant or self-fulfilled. We do not need to go into the reasons why all of this has happened. So, those are the three questions that are of interest to me, both as general comments and questions about this department which is consuming a little bit less than ten per cent of the government's budget.

Thank you. Madam Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will let Mr. Dunbar respond to that.

Mr. Dunbar.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The department is improving its ability to gather information about its actual case loads and demands for services, but I would not pretend to say it is perfect. As a rough estimate on the social assistance program alone, I think it can be safely stated that 50 per cent of our territorial population, one or more times during the year, would have contact with the Department of Social Services seeking financial assistance.

For other program areas, of course the statistics vary and there is a hidden statistic that is very difficult to get at and that is the work that our staff do in the field in trying to prevent many social problems from becoming a major crisis with an individual or a family unit. We do not capture that kind of statistic, so it is very difficult to provide you with an accurate answer to the first part of your question.

Moving on to the second part of your question with respect to regional utilization of our services, we have not done a very good analysis of that at the present time, although it is something that concerns us and has contributed to our attempt to provide services in these communities. Certainly, not all of our communities have resident social workers at the present time and you then end up with a fly-in fly-out service, a short-term person staying there or part-time work. I cannot give you a very accurate representation or analysis of that.

To what degree does this then impact upon work in other departments? When you make reference to the fact that the Department of Social Services receives approximately ten per cent of the territorial government budget you are correct, but that does not represent this government's commitment to social programs in their broader sense. For example, with the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and the programs for housing, in some provinces you might find much of those expenditures identified in a Department of Social Services budget for housing and under social assistance, whereas our government has taken a different approach for some various and good reasons for funding programs through cost-sharing arrangements. There is a great deal of work going on with other departments.

Certainly, when we look at the fact that there is a great thrust to improve the employment situations of our northern residents, we are working together with the Department of Economic Development, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment Programs and the Department of Renewable Resources to try to ensure the programs they are developing will incorporate into them an element of trying to remove people from social assistance.

I am not sure if I can provide you with more about that, or if I have answered your question at least in part.

Thank you. According to the time, we have three or four minutes to do this. General comments. Mr. Lewis.

I would like to move that we report progress, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Lewis. There is a motion to report progress and the motion is not debatable. All those in favour of the motion? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

I would like to thank the honourable Minister, Mr. Dunbar and Mr. Tyler. Thank you for coming to this committee. I will now rise and report progress.

Item 19, report of committee of the whole. Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Committee Report 12-12(3), Bill 17 and Committee Report 11-12(3) and would like to report progress with ten motions being adopted, and the conclusion of Committee Report 12-12(3). Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the committee of the whole be concurred with. Thank you.

Seconded by Mr. Dent. Motion is in order. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion is carried.

---Carried

Item 20, third reading of bills. Point of order. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I have just had the opportunity to review unedited Hansard for today's question period and I had inadvertently asked the Minister of Justice during question period, when he intended to table the family law review report. The Minister responded "very soon." Mr. Speaker, I did not mean to mislead the House through my questioning on the issue. I am sure all of us who care about this issue recall the family law review being tabled in this House. The intent of my questioning was to ask the Minister as to the status of the government's response to the recommendations of the report, particularly when legislation was referred to in the report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.