The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I would like to clarify it is not a Yellowknife Youth Treatment Centre. It is a Territorial Youth Treatment Centre that happens to be based here with Northern Addiction Services.

--Applause

Mr. Speaker, the plan is a mutual agreement with the Northern Addiction Services Board to have them shut down on December 31 of this year, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the plan would be to, on a case-by-case basis, depending upon the needs of an individual, to facilitate having them go out for treatment as required. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the plan is to do an overall review of all treatment services for youth between now and December 31, and to go out for a proposal call based on that review of what the needs would be. This would go out for proposal call in January, sometime early in 1999, in order that a contractor could be available to provide the services by April 1, 1999, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Ng.

Mr. Speaker, no, not at this time. As I indicated, the agreement is to shut down on December 31st, and to continue to provide services for youth that require it on a case-by-case basis with the intent of having a fully integrated and holistic program, hopefully available by April 1, 1999. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Steen.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In an ideal world, we would not have liked to cut anything, but we do not live in an ideal world. I think it is important to explain to my colleague once again of the situation we were in several years ago, that is, we could have ended up as we move forward to Nunavut on April 1, 1999, with an enormous deficit. Somewhere projected, dependant upon who you talk to, between $200 and $300 million. In the Deficit Elimination Strategy we developed, the approach was everybody would take a hit. I mean everybody. Part of restraint and part of trying to reach a zero target as we have now reached, and provided a solid, fiscal foundation for two new governments by not spending as some would have us do indiscriminately. We had to take some of the money out of the wages and benefits package. It is just an unfortunate aspect of deficit elimination cutting. It is not one that anybody relishes, but unfortunately, it was one we had to do. In the meantime, I think it is recognized that we are having some problems, particularly in the professional field. We are trying to address it at the present time. Nurses, teachers had to take the same cuts as butchers, bakers and candlestick makers. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Steen.

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me tell you something. The money is there now. That money is there right now, if we can get a settlement on pay equity. My honourable colleague is speaking about teachers and my colleague over there is talking about health professionals. It is there right now. A community nurse, if we can get a deal on pay equity, gets an $11,000 increase in their salary. Never mind any additional increases that are going to occur from the collective agreement and from some of the changes we want to make to the cost of living component in the communities. It is there now. We just cannot get anybody, or the union to take it out to the membership to let them vote on it and get on with it.

I think we could make a significant change. It may not be perfect, but a significant change to the remuneration we provide to our employees. Not just teachers, not just nurses, but everybody. If one, we can get a collective agreement signed off, which I am optimistic we might do in the coming two or three weeks; and two, get resolve to pay equity. We recognize that. We put $40 million in the budget to deal with it. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Steen.