Qujannamiik, Mr. Chairman. I have opening remarks on the 1994-95 budget of the Department of Social Services. The proposed budget does not contain any enhancements or changes in direct response to the report of the Special Committee on Health and Social Services as the report was received after the 1994-95 budgets were finalized.
However, I was very impressed with the work of the committee. With regard to the family law review, I circulated a discussion paper earlier in this session, and plans call for new legislation in the winter session of 1995.
However, as announced earlier in this session, I have taken steps to provide a wage increase to the staff of alcohol and drug treatment centres. These increased salaries and settlement allowances should bring a measure of stability to the centres. Mr. Chairman, when the Baffin regional treatment centre is added to the other three centres in the territories, we will have enough treatment beds that there should be no need to refer residents to the south for treatment.
As you know, a new deputy minister has been appointed. His first task was to reorganize the department to promote efficiency and effectiveness.
As a result, the department eliminated one assistant deputy minister position and reduced the number of directors from five to four.
Four of the five members of the assessment and treatment team in Yellowknife were decentralized to regional offices to develop strong community mental health teams in each location.
In addition, to deal with the need for enhanced staff training and career development opportunities for Social Services staff, I have established five new staff training positions in regional offices.
I am pleased with the progress made in 1993-94, and I would like to highlight some of the achievements during the year.
The department employs among the highest proportion of aboriginal people in the government, with approximately 88 or 42.7 per cent of the total departmental work-force. In addition, a high proportion of the 305 community-based projects' employees funded by the department through our $18 million contribution fund are also aboriginal.
An adolescent solvent abuse pilot program is under way in cooperation with the federal government and Northern Addiction Services in Dettah, with clients from the NWT, the Yukon and northern Quebec.
Thirty additional treatment beds were added through the opening of a new alcohol and drug treatment centre on the Hay River Reserve. The Iqaluit centre will come on stream early in the next fiscal year, adding a further 18 beds. The three treatment centres currently in operation employ a total of 49 staff.
Fourteen additional beds were added for elders and handicapped through the opening of new personal care facilities in Iqaluit and Deline. The personal care facilities employ a total of 86 residents.
Seven additional beds will be added for children with the opening of the Baker Lake group home in March of 1994.
Forty-two community alcohol and drug projects employed a total of 99 employees.
Nine family violence shelters were funded during the year, providing jobs for 39 residents.
Nine group homes provided a further 32 jobs.
The budget of $79.956 million for 1994-95 has increased by three per cent from the 1993-94 level of $77.453 million. The budget also includes a total of 204 person years and projected revenues of $27.771 million. The major changes to the department's budget for 1994-95 are:
-cost increases of $421,000 for various multi-year contracts for care of children and the aged and handicapped adults;
-operating costs of $355,000 for a new child welfare group home in Baker Lake;
-operating costs of $862,000 for a new alcohol treatment centre in Iqaluit;
-operating costs of $195,000 for two new group homes for disabled adults in Rankin Inlet and Inuvik;
-an increase of $1.6 million to cover greater demand for social assistance;
-$1.6 million for improved food allowances;
-$291,000 for operation of the social assistance information system;
-savings of $500,000 from the recovery of social assistance overpayments; and,
-$33,000 to participate in the environmental assessment of the Great Whale hydro project.
Mr. Chairman, I took the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Finance related to the department's 1993-94 budget very seriously.
As a result, my priority for the coming year as the Minister of Social Services is to develop a comprehensive strategic plan which will build on the recommendations of the Special Committee on Health and Social Services and the family law review.
There are a tremendous number of priorities these days, and it will be crucial for the department to have a comprehensive plan to address them. The long-term strategy for Social Services will be complete by September 1994 and will include: -A capital planning framework to assist communities and the department to deal with requests from a wide variety of facilities;
-A framework for the community transfer of social programs, where it is requested;
-A response to the family law review, as it applies to the Department of Social Services;
-Income security restructuring to provide support to employable social assistance recipients and to provide secure income for those who cannot be self-reliant;
-An alcohol and drug and community mental health strategy;
-A comprehensive human resource plan, including strategies for increasing the representation of aboriginal people at management levels in the department; and,
-An evaluation strategy.
Mr. Chairman, I am confident that our plan will allow us to provide better levels of service to clients and allow for more rational use of resources. That concludes my opening comments.