Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Standing Committee on Social Programs report on 1996/97, mid-year review. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to provide the report of the Standing Committee on Social Programs Review of 1996/97, mid-year activity reports. Overall, at this time, the Committee on Social Programs was pleased with the mid-year activity status reports provided by the Social Envelope partners with many initiatives under way in the Social Program Departments; Community Wellness, Community Justice, Income Reform, and the Government-wide Community Empowerment Initiative. The Standing Committee is concerned about Departments working together. Members see a need for a common approach when dealing with the communities. The Committee does not view these initiatives as separate entities which can be planned and implemented in isolation. They are inter-connected. There has been a high degree of co-ordination and integration between these initiatives, at the Territorial, Regional, and community levels. While each Department is working on its own initiatives, Members are still looking for more integration and co-operation between the Departments. In all initiatives, the Committee is looking for frameworks which are fair and practical. Members are looking for concrete proposals and implementation ideas. With limited funding and tremendous pressure on our social programs, Members echo the concerns voiced by the Auditor General recently. We can spend the dollars, but we do not have necessary, know if the funding is
doing what it was meant to do. We need to be clear about what we are trying to achieve before we can determine if we achieved the results we want. During the initial review of business plans, the Committee supported a number of reductions program areas. Members were disappointed to discover over the summer and during the mid-year review that these reductions were implemented without the level of consultation and concentration of creative options the Committee assumed would take place. For example, the Committee approved, in principle, reductions to foster care payments for special needs, and the Fossil Fuel Subsidies. However, the actual reductions were done without the consultation in developing options that the Committee expected. As a result, in some cases, the Departments are not reviewing and revising the way the program is structured.
In the next round of business plans, the Committee will be looking more closely at proposed reductions, to determine whether appropriate consultation is planned, and whether the full range of implementations has been considered. The Committee has a strong concern about subsidies. The Government provides subsidies in many program areas. There does not seem to be a consultation of those subsidies or any detailed co-operative knowledge of how these subsidies interact. Members are aware that the Department of Education, Culture, and Employment was the lead agency in developing a list of all Government subsidies at one point. This type of information would be very valuable when reviewing programs and ensuring consistency in approach between Departments. The Committee strongly suggested the Social Envelope partners prepare comprehensive lists of subsidies available, at least within the Envelope, to assist the integration of programs.
Mr. Speaker, that concludes my remarks on the Standing Committee on Social Programs report on 1996/97 mid-year activity review. Thank you.