Minister Kakfwi.

Thank you. Question is taken as notice. Oral questions. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Premier. I will take it from where my colleague from Amittuq, Mr. Evaloarjuk left off, in regard to the cost of enfalac, which seems to vary from community to community, not only from region to region. I understand, Mr. Speaker, that this government provides a different form of subsidy on different programs. I also understand we provide a subsidy to ship alcohol across the country. We talk about fetal alcohol syndrome, we talk about healthy babies, we talk about fetal alcohol effects in our jurisdiction. Can this government look into adding a fringe subsidy to enfalac. We seem to be providing all kinds of subsidies across the board. Will the Minister, the Premier of this government, look into the possibility, seriously, of providing a subsidy across the board to ship enfalac? Thank you.

The Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member is well aware, we do in one way or the other, supply subsidy for transportation on all the goods in the Northwest Territories. We do have resupply contracts. We have been working through our Transportation Departments and other departments in this government, to try to reduce the cost of doing business in the Northwest Territories, as well as reducing the cost of our goods for sale in the stores in the Northwest Territories. I know we have worked with Arctic Co-ops to assist them in businesses and they pretty well own the vast majority of stores in our remote communities. We are working with the people to reduce the cost. We can only do so much as a government and then from there, it is up to the private sector. I stand to be corrected, but I understand, as well, that we do not subsidize the transportation of alcohol. I believe they have to pay what they have to pay and it is the cost of getting it there. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary to the Premier, I find the Premier does not reply. Mr. Speaker, yes, I do understand we provide some type of subsidy to many things across the board, but what bothers me and my colleague from Amittuq is, in our community, there are times when a child, a baby, is forced to drink juice or water, just to save that extra few spoonfuls for the evening. Will the honourable Minister seriously look at paying a little more attention to enfalac? Can we at least take a look at it and see what we can do in this case? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will talk to the

Ministers responsible for income support. We have put more money into that program. The Minister made a statement in this House and we have to make sure that the parents understand that the dollars are given to them on behalf of the children, as well, to make sure that they can budget properly, so that no child in the Northwest Territories goes hungry. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ningark.

My supplementary to the honourable Premier is, our stand here, Mr. Evaloarjuk and I, is enfalac. We are not talking about the Income Support Program. We are talking about the item, which we know as enfalac, in the store, on the shelf. Mr. Evaloarjuk talks about the price varying from community to community, in some cases by $5 even. Can the Minister try and find equalization for this unfair pricing across the board? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said earlier, there are many different ways to subsidize all articles or all food in the Northwest Territories, whether it is reinvesting in an airport so a bigger plane can land, or it is assisting people to marshall dry goods out of the south. We are committed as a government, to try to keep the cost of living down, try to work with people to reduce that cost of living, but enfalac is one item children need. As I have said earlier, we have put more money into the Income Support Program. I will talk to the Minister. I do not know if it is proper or right to itemize one item that should get a subsidy. I think food in general, we have to look at and that is why we have done that. I will take the Members' request seriously and I will look into it. I do not know if we will do one item or one brand name. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. O'Brien.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the letters went to the mayors of all the municipalities, the president of the KIA, MLAs and the trustees.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given the fact that there will be various names submitted by various parties, what process is the Minister planning to use to make the final selection? Thank you.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have tasked my deputy minister right now to do an initial screening of the applicants who are put forward. The process would involve some input from the regional representation. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. O'Brien.