I feel this motion is right in line with what we should be doing. It will also enhance the federal government initiative, as well.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. To the motion, Mr. Gargan.

So, the recommendation is looking at having the government identify new dollars to initiate this program? Or, is the Standing Committee on Finance suggesting that, if we have to, we should go into a deficit to support these programs?

Thank you. Mr. Antoine, to the motion.

We are not saying either of those things, Mr. Chairman. We are directing the government to assess its spending priorities and all the current initiatives and, based on this assessment, to develop a plan to deal with these initiatives. We are asking them to look at what they're doing now and perhaps, once they are done their assessment, to develop a plan to look at these different initiatives. Thank you.

Thank you. To the motion. Mr. Gargan.

With regard to intervention services, you are looking at special needs children which is under Education. You are also looking at school-based youth service programs which is under Education and family violence which, I presume, is under Social Services.

Justice.

Or Justice. I am wondering whether, by initiating these programs, we are taking away from other programs.

Thank you. To the motion. Mr. Zoe.

Thank you. To the motion. Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Chairman, the motion itself recommends to the government to assess its spending priorities to include these intervention services. All I'm suggesting is if what we're asking of the government is realistic. Or whether or not we're saying in order for us to do that, then we have to take away from other programs.

Thank you. The motion is quite straightforward. It's saying that we'd like to ask the government to look at how they're spending, look at their priorities and initiatives and do an assessment and from there, develop a plan. We're not saying to take away from other programs. That's not the intention of the motion at all. It's too specific to do that. Maybe the Member has concerns about the intent of the motion. The intent of the motion is to try to put some programs in place that will focus on the development of people in the north, especially our youth. That is the intention of this motion. It may cost some dollars, but it's up-front dollars. We don't know that yet. The government has to do an assessment of their initiative right now.

Thank you. To the motion, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you. Mr. Chairman, I wasn't going to speak on this, but what is contradictory, I think, in the remarks by the chairman of the Standing Committee on Finance is that that has been one of the issues, as a government, we have been trying to struggle with -- the assessment of services and dollars available so that we could try to respond positively to the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Finance.

In terms of trying to assess the monies that are in the Department of Health and Social Services and Education for special needs and youth services, that has been a very difficult thing until we had a policy and the direction of government because what we're finding is that the recommendation, so far, even from the boards, has been to increase the dollars. I think your recommendation of being more frugal and more responsible in spending dollars is the better approach to take. That, in many respects, has not been done to date. It has really only been within this last year that advice has been given through the Special Committee on Health and Social Services to bring some sense to what it is we've been trying to do.

The other thing is even in terms of pilot projects, the issues are still who is actually responsible and who works those things out. We've been criticized for trying to come forward with a number of those assessments. On the one hand, we're advised to go in a direction and we're trying to say we want to be responsible to you and organize the expenditures and at the same time, we're criticized because we're not spending money.

I just wanted to highlight that because the comments you made are really good comments in the last couple of moments. It has not been the kind of direction that it seems we're getting, at least not that I'm getting.

Thank you. To the motion. Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don't think I'm being contradictory at all. I think we're just focusing our attention on some very vital issues that are before us, that is the development of the youth in the north. There's nothing contradictory about that at all.

In fact, I'd like to say that the Standing Committee on Finance got a response from the government on September 13th which states the Department of Health and Social Services has begun work on the community wellness strategy. This strategy will develop a range of options for responding to family violence and child sexual abuse issues.

It goes on to say that the development of strategy, is directed by a working group of representatives and the Department of Justice and Education, Culture and Employment are closely involved, as well that other departments are consulted and that a report will be tabled in this Legislative Assembly this fall. What we're saying is the standing committee would like to see this fast-tracked. On top of that, we're saying we'd like it to go from a strategy to implementation and we give it a time frame of the final year of this government's term.

We further are identifying three initiatives that the government should be pursuing when they're doing this work they already say they're doing. There's no contradiction in there. We're just following up on the recommendation response the government made to us. Thank you.

Thank you. To the motion. I have Mr. Dent.

Thank you. To the motion. I have Mr. Nerysoo, the Premier, and Mr. Ballantyne. Mr. Nerysoo.

Mr. Chairman, I wasn't trying to create an argument, but I do say that in the report that has been brought forward -- not in this particular recommendation, but in other elements of the report that have been part of the discussion -- there have been attempts to clarify that there are other issues that are important for us to address as part of the overall plan, which makes it very difficult to come forward with an automatic response. That's all I'm saying.

I think I said earlier that I agree with the honourable Member and the advice and comments made by Mr. Dent as well.

Thank you. To the motion. Madam Premier.