Minister of Health and Social Services, Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, any document that's tabled in the Legislative Assembly can be moved into committee of the whole for discussion. That's the privilege of the Members of the Legislative Assembly, if they wish to discuss any document. Mr. Speaker, the document has been put together for discussion in the areas of social reform, community wellness and community involvement and I believe

the document has also been very well circulated outside the Legislative Assembly in communities.

In a number of communities that I've visited recently, that document seems to be very well-received in terms of what people want to talk about. They want to discuss the wellness of their communities, what they are going to do about social well-being, who is going to do it, and how they can get together to have healthy communities. It has taken on a life of its own because it seems to be speaking the language that communities want to speak. Often it is referred to at the same time the income reform document is being discussed in forums. A lot of individuals who discuss community well-being talk about social welfare reform, community involvement and use the income support and community wellness documents as support for those discussions.

It is well-received by the communities and it is being talked about. I, Mr. Speaker, would have no objection to having the document moved into committee of the whole for discussion if any Member wishes to do so. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly will be encouraging that kind of a debate in this Assembly. I would like to ask the Minister in light of what she said about the good response this document is getting in communities, would the Minister agree that the community wellness strategy represents quite a fundamentally different approach on the part of this government, having communities rather than government bureaucrats solving their own social problems? Thank you.

Ms. Cournoyea.

Mr. Speaker, I realize that over the years the establishment of government in the Northwest Territories has occurred along the lines of programs that were federal programs offered to any provincial jurisdiction, Northwest Territories and the Yukon territory. Those programs were predesigned in one package. If you wanted to access those programs, the access were with the guidelines and the criteria that have been established. Clearly, from the community discussions over a number of years, communities have objected to having to take programs that already have guidelines that really didn't fit into the community. We've heard that message for a long time now, not just in the last couple of years. It's not a revelation, it's something that has been haunting many of us for the last 15 or 20 years on how do you make those changes and how do you give and empower the communities with the necessary tools to look after themselves; and how do you build individual self-esteem, dignity and pride; and how do you help community leaders guide the community into a healthy community?

Certainly, that type of flexible approach has not been awarded to the community. It has not been awarded to the GNWT because the programs have been designed at the federal level with the anticipation that it could suit anybody anywhere and not have the problems of trying to be flexible.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that it has been with the protests that have come from the aboriginal organizations and from Northwest Territories communities and leaders, of how much destruction has been done to communities and community well-being by creating dependence on a welfare system that really was a negative system and really didn't support growth and well-being. The community wellness strategy -- as the honourable Member for Iqaluit has indicated -- does lead to discussion away from the bureaucratic approach to how programs and services have been applied in the past and looks to giving more to the community. The communities certainly want to take a hold of the issues that arise in their community, they want to resolve problems; but they want the tools and the flexibility to do so.

This document is really a document that has come out of a lot of discussions over the last number of years in trying to empower the communities to take on that responsibility and that accountability. It's going to be a major change. Recently, with the meeting with the group that has been set up under Mr. Nerysoo's responsibility on income reform, it was clearly stated that while communities were very excited and really looking forward to getting the show on the road, they were a bit apprehensive that we'll get the kick-start, people will get excited, then the ball would be dropped. So we had to make a commitment on behalf of all the Legislative Assembly Members and Cabinet that we're behind this initiative, we want it to work. And the communities are the ones that will have to grapple with the issues at home, and we have to try to provide the tools so they can resolve and set direction and priorities to resolve their problems.

So, yes, it does answer that one question. It's a long answer, but I think it's a pretty exciting thing when people say this is what we've been saying all along, now can we get on and get it done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question period is over. Item 7, written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 9, replies to opening address. Item 10, petitions. Before we get into item 11, we'll take a 10-minute break.

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