Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

The Minister in this status report on zero tolerance for violence had indicated that there is a cooperative approach to wellness. It indicated that this strategy will be loose in giving communities and regions the flexibility to develop programs which respond to local needs. Is the Minister aware that the intention is to provide general guidelines within which specific programs can be developed? Thank you.

Minister of Health, Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, as the Minister of Justice has indicated, we are working together on the issue. In terms of the community wellness strategy project, the Department of Health and Social Services is responsible as the lead group. Madam Speaker, the Member is referring to the fact that in December of 1993, the Department of Health and Social Services, Justice and Education, Culture and Employment established a joint working group to develop a community wellness strategy. This was done in response to the need for a more integrated and community-based approach in service delivery by government.

The joint working group, Madam Speaker, has been expanded to include regional and community organizations. Madam Speaker, the next expanded joint working group meeting will be held in November of this year and the work completed to date and the next steps will be discussed. The framework for the strategy is scheduled for completion by April 1, 1995.

Madam Speaker, a communications plan is being developed to ensure all government departments and members of the public receive information about the strategy development.

Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to thank the Premier for that reply. I direct the supplementary to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services. When there is freedom to develop programs, there is also the potential for inequity between communities in terms of program funding. Does the government plan to fund specific programs or will each community have an equitable share of the funds which they can apply towards these programs? Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, I believe that the issue of how we organize community and community support personnel, is one of major importance. I have indicated to the Legislative Assembly previously that in the work we are doing, we are trying to provide those resources at the community levels. I realize in the past we have created programs in a manner where a certain amount of money is available and then certain communities come forward and are able to access a limited resource. I believe in our workings with the various groups, particularly with communities, we have to organize the support personnel in the community and take into consideration that it is a community that is going to heal itself and will be involved on a day-to-day basis, so those resources have to be provided as a legitimate parcel of support personnel at the community level. So, Madam Speaker, I am not sure, in our continuing deliberations with the joint working group, that it will come out to that fact. But in terms of community development, it is very clear that communities want to be able to establish that support system that will be ongoing, rather than working on an ad hoc basis because there are small parcels of money, which everyone has to apply for.

In our continuing plan to work with communities, the consolidation of Health and Social Services and the whole community wellness strategy, is to provide those services and personnel that are required at a community level equitably. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think this strategy is a good thing; to have a cooperative approach by all the different government departments to work together to help the communities. This strategy, like I said, will be loose and will give communities the flexibility to develop programs which respond to local needs. I think the Minister is also indicating that.

When the community wellness strategy is developed, will the community-based programs be a supplement instead of the existing territorial program? Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Madam Speaker, as I've indicated in the past, the government is attempting to make decisions and place resources at the community level to meet the expectations that people have today and for the future. I believe that in the discussions with many of the communities, there is a feeling that we have programs that should really be adjusted to meet the new age. If, in fact, we are able to rationalize the education and training proactive approach in a community, health and social service workers will be able, particularly, in the area of social work and mental health, be able to more aptly focus on that type of work. I believe that there are a number of positions in every community that may be deployed in a wrong way, or some programs that used to be right for the past but are not right for the present and future.

So I believe that we have to work actively with the communities to evaluate those positions. If there is extra need, because of today's issues, today's problems and looking towards the future, we have to redeploy those personnel. I believe in taking some of the responsibilities away, particularly with social workers, that are more routine such as providing social welfare cheques and evaluation, and redeploy that to another area where it's more productive. These workers are better able to deal with this wellness strategy that we have to have in the communities and work with the communities, instead of being tied up with red tape which is not what they were trained for. Their valuable educational level is not being fully utilized at this time. So it's going to be an incorporation of what we have existing, but also evaluating what people want to see as an ongoing support for communities which reaches out to a more holistic approach.

I believe that the community wellness strategy relates to all government and territorial programs to try to suggest that we need to change those. These include basic traditional values, healing, dysfunction, youth problems, suicide, age, handicaps and racism. These are all issues people are facing today and we have to provide those resources so we can redeploy people so they can actually do the job that people feel has to be done. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Whitford.

Thank you. Minister of Justice, Mr. Kakfwi.

Supplementary, Mr. Whitford. Before we go to supplementary, may I remind honourable Members that your answers are to be as short as possible. Thank you. Mr. Whitford.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Kakfwi.

Supplementary, Mr. Whitford.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Kakfwi.