Thank you, Mr. Zoe. Madam Minister.
Debates of April 7th, 1995
Topics
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Nellie Cournoyea Nunakput
Mr. Chairman, the short answer is yes.
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Henry Zoe North Slave
If that is the case, why are other Members in the House indicating that the amount of money allotted to the drug and alcohol program isn't sufficient?
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Henry Zoe North Slave
Mr. Chairman, I haven't done the calculations because I am not sure what the total amount was in the transfer agreement versus what we have in the budget book. I know there is going to be a difference and I think it is going to be a significant difference. I don't think that will cause a problem for additional money going into the community drug and alcohol programs. If the money was used as intended when we negotiated that agreement, then we wouldn't have a shortfall. Members on this side of the House and that corner over there won't be complaining. There is sufficient money in there to enhance the pay levels of these individuals who are working at the grassroots level. Mahsi.
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Nellie Cournoyea Nunakput
Mr. Chairman, on these particular community programs, we spend $4.738 million. That is on the direct community-based programs.
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Henry Zoe North Slave
Mr. Chairman, I am not going to continue debating with the Premier, but I know the facilities' cost wasn't part of the negotiations. The number she made reference to also includes the facilities' costs and the programs that are run here, Hay River and wherever they have these facilities. That amount of money that we negotiated under that transfer wasn't supposed to be used in that manner. I won't continue on with this, but that is the point I wanted to make. Until I do further research into this, Mr. Chairman, I won't be able to comment any further. Mahsi.
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Nellie Cournoyea Nunakput
Mr. Chairman, the figure I gave to the honourable Member didn't take into account the treatment centres. I was just suggesting that the expenditure on the drug and alcohol programs like the Aklavik Alcohol Action Committee, Arviat drug and alcohol program, Coral Harbour council, Dene Cultural Institute program, Fort Good Hope Dene community, Fort Norman, and then we have the Rae-Edzo Friendship Centre, Tree of Peace, Peel River, Tsiigehtchic, Wrigley Dene Band are the ones that add up to $4,502,651, Mr. Chairman, and I didn't take into account drug and alcohol treatment.
I mentioned earlier that we spent a lot more on drug and alcohol treatment, which may be $8 or $9 million. Then, we take into account the drug and alcohol treatment centres and Mr. Zoe is quite right, approximately $3.4 million that was negotiated was not to go to those treatment centres. It goes to a long list of programs, I think there are 44, right across the Northwest Territories.
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
The Chair Tony Whitford
Thank you, Madam Minister. Community programs and services. The chair continues to recognize Mr. Zoe.
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Henry Zoe North Slave
Mr. Chairman, I wonder if I could ask the Premier and her staff if they could provide an analysis of that section. I can't recall the section number, but there is a reference made to drug and alcohol treatment and there is money attached to that amount. Could you provide that plus the expenditures so we can compare to see if, in keeping with the intent, that money is being used in that way?
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Nellie Cournoyea Nunakput
Mr. Chairman, we can certainly provide that information to the Member.
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
The Chair Tony Whitford
Community programs and services, operations and maintenance. Total O and M, $84.413 million.
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
---Agreed
Health Services Development
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
The Chair Tony Whitford
Health services development, operations and maintenance. The chair recognizes the Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under health services development, I believe you find the task medical travel. Last year when we were presented with the main estimates, they forecast a drop from $19 million in expenditures in that task in 1993-94 to about $17.5 million in 1994-95. Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1994-95 brought in an extra $1.886 million to the funding in 1994-95, which brings the total back up to $19.464 million and we were advised when we were considering this supplementary by the Minister of Finance that the amount proposed for medical travel in the 1995-96 main estimates was just over $16 million.
I'd like to ask the Minister, since we were unable to reduce the expenditures by the almost $2 million that had been projected between 1993-94 and 1994-95, how does the Minister propose to actually meet a reduction of $3.3 million in the course of 1995-96 over what was spent in the current fiscal year?
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 903
Nellie Cournoyea Nunakput
Mr. Chairman, the main reason we were not able to reduce the costs of medical travel was because the agreement between the Government of the
Northwest Territories and the Royal Alex didn't come into play until August of this year, mainly because of longer-than-expected negotiations to conclude the agreement. Any savings we had would have to be prorated rather than starting at the beginning of the year. Savings did not begin until August. That was one of the problems we had.
The department did expect to save about $400,000 through orthodontic contracts which will result in orthodontists travelling to each region to provide services rather than having patients travel to Edmonton, Montreal and Winnipeg. This is an area where we expect to make that amount of savings.
This time around, for the second part of his question, the fact that we will be in a full working arrangement with the Royal Alex, means we expect to get more benefit out of it. It will be in full force rather than the situation last year, when it didn't start until late in the season. Those are two areas where we feel that controls will be made. As well, it's expected that, with the enhanced services at Stanton Hospital, there will also be added savings because individuals would not have to travel outside the Northwest Territories to access treatments that they are presently receiving. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 904
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 904
Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to point out to the Minister that we heard last year that they were going to be able to cut the expenditures significantly. This year, the proposal is to cut almost $3 million from the expenditures over the current year and we're talking about the same areas we were talking about cutting last year. It's difficult to see how those cuts are going to be achieved but I guess all we can do is wait and watch and hope that the Minister is correct in that we will be able to save some money.
Mr. Chairman, under this activity, I think, is also the task public health. Could the Minister advise whether or not spending has been maintained, increased or decreased in the public health task, please.
Bill 1: Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1995-96Committee Report 4-12(7): Report On The Review Of The 1995-96 Main Estimates
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 904