Good afternoon. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Baffin Central, Ms. Mike.

(Translation) Madam Speaker, I am pleased to announce that preparations are now under way to hold a municipal lands referendum in each Nunavut community in April 1995.

The lands referendum, Madam Speaker, is a requirement under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, which provides for the devolution of public lands administration to Nunavut communities. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs will see to the turnover of fee simple title to all municipal lands by July 9, 1996.

As owners of municipal lands, Nunavut communities will have control of the allocation of land in their communities. This is a responsibility communities have sought for many years.

Before the municipalities can dispose of municipal lands, however, it is a requirement of article 14 of the land claims legislation that voters in each community decide on the level of authority the local community council should have.

Each community is to hold its own separate referendum on whether the local community council should have the choice to sell any of its municipal lands, or whether the council should be prohibited from selling lands and only be able to grant leases and permits.

I am pleased to advise Members that a key first step has been taken with an agreement with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, (NTI), on the details of the community referendum. The date of April 10, 1995 has been set, and the referendum question has also been finalized.

The question will read as follows, Madam Speaker. "Do you want the Town of Iqaluit to be able to sell municipal lands"? All voters are eligible to vote in their local referendum, which will be decided by a simple majority vote.

Madam Speaker, department staff are already working with NTI on referendum preparations, including public information materials such as posters, pamphlets and advertisements (in both Inuktitut and English) to assist the community voters to understand the question being asked. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I rise today to offer my congratulations to the mayor and council of the village of Fort Simpson on their successful election last night.

Madam Speaker, I feel there is a good mix of people on the new council which should make for a smooth transition period. I would like to congratulate Ray Michaud for being re-elected mayor.

---Applause

My congratulations also go out to the following councillors-elect: Andy Norwegian, Tom Wilson, Hilda Antoine, Lindsay Waugh, Robert Hanna, Ken Brown, Stella Gargan and Owen Rowe on their election as village councillors.

---Applause

As the incumbent mayor and councillors on the village council know, Madam Speaker, I am available to work with the village council in Fort Simpson in representing them on territorial matters.

My congratulations also go out, Madam Speaker, to the newly elected members of the community education council. Best wishes go to Ernest Cazon, Hilda Gerlock, Betty Hardisty, John Hazenburg, Marie Lafferty, Anne McKee, Doug Robertson and Albertine Rodh.

The next three years in the term of the village council will be very challenging. There are many important issues to be dealt with at the community, regional and territorial level. The municipal government is there to represent everyone in the community, not only just a small group of residents. The village council must work with the band council and the Metis local of that community. The reality, Madam Speaker, is that there are many common issues, problems and concerns. While there may be a difference of opinion on how to resolve some of these issues, it should not jeopardize the spirit of cooperation in the community.

I look forward to working in the future with them. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Whitford.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue. Are there any nays? Proceed, Mr. Whitford.

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I too would like to congratulate the winners who were elected in the Inuvik municipal election yesterday. The mayor who was re-elected is Tom Zubko. The councillors who were re-elected are Richard Barnes, Alan Davis, Dennie Lennie, Floyd Roland and Bob Simpson. And the newly elected councillors are Vivian Hunter, Harry Joujan and Julian Tomlinson.

I would like to congratulate these elected people, and I would like to congratulate the other people who ran and who weren't successful. But the spirit of democracy is still alive and well, and people still get a chance to put their X on ballots to choose the people they wish to represent them for the next few years.

I would also like to congratulate the appointees to the community education council. They provide a valuable service to the community of Inuvik and I wish them all well.

Again, I want to continue the work that I've been doing with the Inuvik town council and hope that our relationships prosper and Inuvik prospers with us. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Kitikmeot, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. On behalf of my constituents, I, too, would like to congratulate all the successful candidates elected in the tax-based municipal elections yesterday. Mayor Tom Zubko and councillors-elect in Inuvik, Mayor Ray Michaud and councillors-elect in Fort Simpson, Mayor Jack Rowe and councillors-elect in Hay River, Mayor Dennis Bevington and councillors-elect in Fort Smith, Mayor Max Melnyk and councillors-elect of Norman Wells and, finally, Mayor Dave Lovell and aldermen-elect of Yellowknife.

At this time I would also wish to formally congratulate Mayor Joe Kunuk and councillors elected in Iqaluit last month, and all education and school board members elected in the tax-based municipalities. They are the individuals who are often overlooked due to the higher profile of municipal council elections. However, their job in dealing with educational issues are just as important as those dealt with by municipal councils.

Finally, I would like to congratulate all the unsuccessful candidates for letting their names stand for public office. We all know it's not an easy decision to consider running for public office and we can all attest it's an even tougher job once you get elected. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Natilikmiot, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, last month an elderly lady by the name of Agnes Iqquqaqtuq escorted her six-year-old adopted daughter from Pelly Bay to Edmonton for a medical check-up. There is nothing out of the ordinary here, Madam Speaker; a mother escorting a child from a small northern community to a big city except, of course, Agnes Iqquqaqtuq is unilingual. Neither the flight staff on board her flight, nor the airport employees in Yellowknife or Edmonton spoke or understood Inuktitut. Bernadette, her daughter, was too young to interpret for her.

There are other situations I've heard about and we have been lucky so far that nobody has been lost permanently. Will it take a tragedy before we fix the problem? Madam Speaker, I will be pursuing this matter with the appropriate Minister at question period. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Baffin South, Mr. Pudlat.

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. I stand today on behalf of my constituents, particularly to represent Sanikiluaq and Cape Dorset patients who come here for health services. Many times they have not been picked up at the airport upon arriving for medical services. Although I am not aware of all the incidents, I do know of a few that have actually occurred and like myself, they are unilingual, Madam Speaker. This covers the medical services for Cape Dorset and Sanikiluaq. Especially this past year, a lot of the patients have had to come to Yellowknife because of tuberculosis. I will pursue this further with the appropriate Minister during question period also. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Being in a kinder, gentler mood this week, Madam Speaker, I looked hard for good things to say about the government. I had to wrack my brain. No, I'm just kidding.

---Laughter I rise today, Madam Speaker, to report on four wonderful accomplishments that have dealt with significant problems in my constituency.

---Applause

I'd like to also say there was a crisis that arose this summer over relocation, availability of housing and reasonable rents for staff of the soon-to-open Baffin treatment centre. I'm pleased to say that houses were made available, funds were identified for relocation and rents were reviewed to ensure they were affordable considering the wages of the treatment centre staff.

I'd like to thank the Honourable Nellie Cournoyea, Minister of Social Services and the Honourable Rebecca Mike, Minister of Personnel for this achievement.

---Applause

Next, much was made in this Assembly, Madam Speaker, of the plight of families who were living on the beach in Iqaluit. I'm pleased to report that last year, an alternate unit was constructed and made available to one family. This year, two units are, at this moment, being constructed and will be made available to two other families who are living in that situation for which the Honourable Don Morin deserves credit.

---Applause

Finally, Madam Speaker, and I don't know if I'm going to have time to outline this one, I have ranted and raved in this Assembly about the lack of married students' housing for students at Nunatta Campus. Although no long-term solution is in sight yet, an opportunity arose this summer. I'm afraid I will have to ask for consent to conclude. Thank you.

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker and honourable Members. As I was saying, an opportunity arose this summer. Due to the unexpected number of GNWT employees who were either moving out of staff housing or building their own units, some vacancies arose in the government's complement of staff housing units in Iqaluit. At the same time there were married students with families who had applied for Arctic College and were ready to pursue their careers in Arctic College, but could not do so for lack of housing.

I'm very pleased to report, thanks to the Honourable John Pollard, in his capacity as Minister of FMBS and with help from the Honourable Richard Nerysoo, 25 surplus units were dedicated to married students. This will allow that number of students to go to college after all.

Madam Speaker, I would like to say I recognize these achievements and accomplishments. There have been prompt responses to what I'd like to think were practical suggestions to make lives better for my constituents and I'm grateful for that. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I also have a thank you statement, but it's not to the Ministers.

---Laughter

Madam Speaker, on September 23rd, I had the pleasure of travelling to Taloyoak to take part in the meeting of the Advisory Committee on Social Housing. As Members know, this is Mr. Ningark's constituency. Mr. Ningark made a special effort of telling everyone in the community to be friendly if they saw us. This special effect was very much appreciated, as it made us feel very welcome.

Mr. Ningark was also smart enough not to invite us for supper at any of the hotels. After seeing the cost of a sandwich, I will no longer complain about the restaurant prices in Fort Providence.

---Laughter

I also had the pleasure of presenting Mr. Ningark with a set of moosehair tuftings, in honour of him having served as a Minister of Renewable Resources in days gone by. The committee spent three days in Taloyoak discussing the concerns and recommendations made by the community delegates during the Housing Corporation's district consultation meeting.

On arrival, Madam Speaker, the committee Members were unsure of the direction the meeting was going to take. But thanks to the MLAs and the hard-working staff of the Housing Corporation, who worked in the evenings and over the weekend and who also provided excellent briefing material and responses to our questions, the meetings were very productive.

As co-chairman of the committee, I will be making a statement on the result of the meeting later in the session. However, I wanted to make a special point of again thanking Mr. Ningark for inviting us to his community. Also a very special thank you to the residents of Taloyoak for making us feel welcome. I'm sure that the positive energy of the community of Taloyoak contributed, in a great way, to the success of our deliberations. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Charles Dent on October 12th regarding mammography screening for breast cancer.

Madam Speaker, at this time, a policy for mammography testing for the Northwest Territories has not been developed. A policy is not practical in an evolving field which may require rapid changes to medical practice.

The department's position is that mammography screening should be offered every one to two years to women ages 50 to 69. This is the only age group for which there is good and compelling scientific evidence that routine screening, coupled with clinical breast examination, can actually reduce mortality by 33 per cent from breast cancer. These guidelines have been endorsed by a growing number of authoritative bodies around the world.

Experts do not agree on the role of routine mammography screening for women ages 40 to 49. British Columbia is the only province in Canada that includes this group of women in a screening program for breast cancer.

Screening is an intervention aimed at individuals who are free of signs or symptoms of disease. It should not be undertaken unless a clear benefit can be shown. To date, no benefit has been shown scientifically for women under the age of 50 years.

The Department of Health and Social Services also recognizes the need for further public and professional education in this complex area. Mammography is only one component of a successful screening program against breast cancer. Another is clinical breast examinations.

The advanced nursing skills in-service program includes training for clinical breast examination to ensure that appropriate expertise will be available in all health centres in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Kivallivik, Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Pudlat on October 7, 1994 regarding compensation to hunters for damaged equipment.

The Department of Renewable Resources has a disaster compensation program which allows harvesters to receive compensation for loss of equipment or cabins, due to natural disasters such as storms, floods or forest fires. The Department of Renewable Resources does not have a program that provides compensation for damage to equipment caused by polar bears or for other reasons where the harvester could take steps to reduce risk of damage. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Minister of Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I believe the honourable Member related to small communities. I will just relate to that because in many small communities we use health centres. If I had a child who had some problems and difficulties on an ongoing basis, I would take that child to the health centre to be looked at by the clinical nurse at that centre. The nurse will further discuss the problems I am having with that child. Every health centre has a well-baby clinic they hold on a regular basis to help families identify and see a child through the pre-school age development.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, the start of entry for community needs on any health issue is at the local health centre. A child is brought to the health centre, perhaps with the parents, to take part in the well-baby clinics. If it is established that a child has a requirement for further treatment or assessment, the nurse at the health centre would identify some of the areas and would probably consult with a doctor. In the communities, there are regular trips made by doctors into the communities whereby if the condition is severe or is anticipated to be, then the nurse would have on file that the doctor would have to see these certain children. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, if a child is assessed by a nurse needing extra treatment, the nurse would normally refer to one of the visiting doctors. The doctor may determine that the child needs some special attention. So that child, depending on the circumstances, could be referred to a regional centre where specialists may be available. If that service is not available in a regional centre, that individual child could be referred to some of the referral centres that are available in the Northwest Territories.

The specialists who do come to a regional centre, could very well refer an individual patient to a more specialized facility in southern Canada. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, the guidelines say to the nearest centre. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Zoe.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, the normal procedure that is carried out once a patient has been analyzed and is determined to require a certain treatment, generally if it's at all possible, is to try to have the parent involved with the assessor and also with what can be realistically done at home. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Over the last 10 years, the Minister's department, the Department of Education, has been pursuing the philosophy of inclusion. This means that children with special needs are included as part of the regular school system. However, people have different definitions of special needs. In fact, some say that all children have special needs. Can the Minister explain how his department defines special needs? Mahsi.

Thank you. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think that there's no one particular definition of special needs.

The honourable Member has just pointed out that in circumstances, depending on what they are, the basis by which we provide special needs education is addressed in dealing with the individual. What is occurring, Madam Speaker, is that the education system is intended to enhance the learning of all students. The integration or inclusion of students in regular classrooms has, in fact, allowed us to ensure that all students' educational needs are addressed.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Supplementary, Madam Speaker, for the same Minister. The Minister has said that there is no one definition of special needs, so it will be difficult to deal with this issue here. We have now boards of education that are required to deal with special needs. I would like to ask the Minister, how are the boards of education dealing with special needs issues if there is no one definition for it. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

It's too bad, Madam Speaker, that people don't pay attention to the issues and the individuals, because what you have is situations where there are hearing impaired, where you have handicapped situations, where you have fetal alcohol syndrome. These are all different circumstances that require different ways to address specific needs. However, there's also a broader general issue of providing educational programs to all students. So what we have to look at in providing services is how we develop educational programs as a collective. We provide education funding for each individual, plus we provide special needs additional funding to address specific educational requirements. What has happened in the past is that everyone has addressed only the special needs funding and not all educational funding that is identified for the student him or herself.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you. I would like to ask the Minister a final question. Are all boards of education required to use the same definition of special needs? Thank you.

Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. All boards are required to utilize the inclusive student policy, but each individual has to be addressed in terms of their needs.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Culture and Employment, further on defining special needs students. Madam Speaker, I understand that in attempting to categorize students with special needs for the purposes of budgeting, those students requiring the most support were referred to as "level I needs." However, Madam Speaker, I understand the use of that term has now been discontinued. My question to the Minister is, could he explain why the department no longer uses this method of categorization. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Madam Speaker, maybe it was because there was a situation where people were creating an impression among themselves, among peers where people needed additional support and were being categorized and separated from their peers, from their families in some cases, to a point to the detriment of their education. It's our view, at least from an educational perspective, that all children can learn. If the honourable Member wants us to go back to his old definition of separating children, then I'll certainly consider that recommendation.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Madam Speaker, with respect to the honourable Minister, I did not ask him why they're weren't going back to a former system, I asked him simply if he could explain why that method was no longer used.

My supplementary, Madam Speaker, is that I understand that it's perhaps undesirable to label students, but my supplementary, Madam Speaker, is I suggest that in order to identify the financial resources required there must be a way to somehow identify the students who need special assistance, especially those students who will require a great deal of attention and financial resources. So I would like to ask the Minister if categories are no longer used, then how does the Minister and his department determine the number of special needs students in developing appropriate budget estimates? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. What has occurred is that the department has completed a substantive assessment report for every region and every school across the Northwest Territories. It includes those that need the most support, those that need the least support. It includes the issue of whether or not it's alcohol related and whether or not it's other matters that have affected that individual. Special needs also must be considered in the context of sexual abuse and family abuse. Those are the kinds of considerations that have to be made. The report has been provided to me, and the basis upon which we are now considering the assessment is on that information.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm pleased to hear that the department has done a community-by-community, school-by-school assessment of the costs of the needs of each student in that jurisdiction. What I would now like to ask the Minister, Madam Speaker, is now that this information is in hand, does the department have a method to provide specific funding for the boards of education and each school in their jurisdiction, based on the information and the database they have about the number of special needs students the department must provide support to? Thank you.

Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. We are still using the per capita formula arrangement. Also, if you review the formula, there is consideration for those who require additional support. That is all presently part of the formula. What I can say to the honourable Member is that my colleagues have reviewed the whole issue and are in favour of addressing future needs.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I suspect that the Minister would agree that per capita funding is a rather imperfect method of ensuring there are adequate resources available to fund the special needs of each student in our system. The preferable method would be to target the funding based on the actual needs, as the department has now determined. I would like to ask the Minister, in this final supplementary, whether we have a chance of seeing the new, specifically targeted, special needs funding formula in place for the coming fiscal year when we review his department's main estimates this winter? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

No, Madam Speaker. I think the honourable Member is asking for a formula without considering all the other funding arrangements that are available to the people of the Northwest Territories. You cannot deal with special needs in isolation of federal funding for Brighter Futures. You can't deal with special needs funding without addressing the whole issue of Head Start. These are all part of the funding arrangements, which have to be part of an overall response.

My honourable colleagues knows that the one region in the Northwest Territories that has taken a very positive approach to using Brighter Futures funding for educational reasons is the Baffin region. It is the only one. They are getting very good results from it. None of the aboriginal leaders in the north, other than from that region, have considered that. It is very important.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you. No, I haven't decided that. I will ask my colleagues whether or not that information could be made available.

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for High Arctic, Mr. Pudluk.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. To the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Madam Speaker, often teachers are able to define specific therapies for students, such as speech therapy. Once this identification has been made, is there a procedure for schools to make sure that these needs are identified, and assessment and treatment is arranged? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you. I can indicate to the honourable Member that there has never been a specific procedure. But, since I've assumed the responsibility of Minister and since we've signed the memorandum of understanding with Health and Social Services, we are developing a procedure whereby this particular matter can be addressed. But, generally speaking, the recommendation was normally made to health officials.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Pudluk.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Which Minister is responsible for ensuring appropriate assessment occurs? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Normally, Madam Speaker, it is the Department of Health and Social Services that deals with the assessment matters.

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is for the Premier, the Minister of Health and Social Services. Madam Speaker, for school-aged children, which Minister is responsible for the provision of treatment such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and psychotherapy?

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, a child would make, hopefully, continued visits to a nursing station with the initiative of the parents. Or, if a teacher is aware, they would probably talk to the parents and they would, in turn, approach a nursing station to establish the extent of the requirements. Depending on the situation or the individual need, this would be referred to a medical professional, a doctor. Whether it would be a touring doctor would depend on the circumstances. Or, they would be referred to a regional centre and these assessments would be made. These referrals would take place according to need. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

Madam Speaker. To the Premier, is there a policy which covers the provision of this treatment?

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, if any individual patient is determined to need further care, it is the responsibility of the professional people handling that individual to continue to refer that patient, as the need is identified. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

Does this apply to all the communities?

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, regarding the referrals for health care matters, communities have health centres. Health centres have a certain degree of expertise, supplemented by visiting medical doctors. If the care cannot be given at that level, they refer it on. All the communities, except for three very small communities, have a health centre. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Gargan.

Thank you. Madam Speaker, again to the Premier, are there any differences in access to treatment, depending on the child's ethnicity at age of diagnosis. Let me just rephrase the question. Is there any difference in treatment depending on whether the child is native or non-native?

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, once a certain condition has been identified, in terms of treatment, according to whatever is required for that individual patient...Once a treatment is identified, there would not be any differentiation. The only differentiation would be who pays for it. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Koe.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, a lot of the questions have been directed at pre-school and school-aged children. Once they reach the age of majority at 19, they become adults and they're adults with special needs. My question to the Minister of Health and Social Services is, is the Department of Health and Social Services responsible for providing support to special needs adults.

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Cournoyea.

Madam Speaker, I don't know if the Member wants me to repeat myself. At the point of entry, a person, for their own purposes -- because I presume once a person is 19, they would be making decisions for himself or herself -- would report to a health station or a health centre in a community and discuss the problems they might be having. Then they would take the same process in accessing medical care either from a visiting doctor, depending on the circumstances, or being referred to a regional centre or to a further specialist whether they're at a regional centre or a point of referral. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I'm asking the question so I assume the Minister responsible will answer. Whether she has to repeat herself or not is her prerogative. My supplementary to the Minister is what specific programs are available to assist special needs adults or the families who support them.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, it's really dependent on the particular condition that individual finds himself in and what is being prescribed or suggested as they go through the process. Thank you, Madam Speaker.