Thank you. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I believe the honourable Member is mixing up the issue of the strategic planning process, which is ongoing with the Strategic Initiatives Fund, understandably because we are using the terms strategic for both. The Strategic Initiatives Fund which the honourable Member is referring to because he mentioned the dollar amount in the allocations for Yellowknife. The applications will come forward, proposals from the board on which programs they want to try to target in providing some additional services, as had been indicated in specific areas in trying to address more pro-actively some of the preventive support programs that we may have available or that may be developed. This is certainly an avenue that some of the non-government agencies and support groups might be able to provide some of the services. First of all, the regional health social services board would have to put forth proposals for consideration before they could look for the delivery agent for those programs, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Ootes.

Thank you. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, Yellowknife city council has struck a committee of some of their members and some of the non-profit organizations and other representation from the Yellowknife area to look at putting together a report, as the Member alludes to, on Health and Social and Services as to what type of services they want to be providing to what level they want to involve. There is certainly

an awareness and an effort to try and take control of the health and social services broad community-base support. This is why they have broadened the membership on the committee to include as many organizations and representatives of the community as possible. We are expecting that they are going to provide that report by sometime this fall. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Community Health and Social Services programs, total operations and maintenance, $27.437 million. Agreed? Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Minister. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I responded to Mr. Steen's questions at that time and I indicated all salaries and benefits of employees that happened to be impacted through a community empowerment initiative went over to the municipality, as well as, the affiliated administrative support that would have gone with that position. There are no savings to this government in doing that. The intent has always been to transfer over salaries, benefits and support dollars that go along with those positions and programs, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Ng. Total operations and maintenance. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will comment on the two matters, the honourable Member brought up. For situations where you have a crisis situation in the community for whatever reasons, traumatic experience that impacts the whole community, there are resources available. Again, it is not at every community level. Certainly to support the caregivers in the community, there are going to be regional resources, whether it is in the form of psychologists, suicide prevention specialists, alcohol or drug specialists, whatever they hold at a regional level to provide some of those supports for those types of incidents which require broader and more specific involvement in some of the counselling, debriefing and support issues for communities.

On the matter of streamlining the process for communities to access funds for programs and proposals that are submitted, I quite frankly, cannot see how it could work more effectively and be more streamlined if we were to try to do that as a government versus through a board. The board is there and right in the region. The communities have representation directly on the board, the CEO and senior staff are a lot more accessible to communities in the area they serve. This was the whole problem our Health Canada System is having with a centralized headquarters and having all the decisions come to a central point and being backlogged based on the volumes and resources not being as readily accessible. I would be really hesitant to go back toward that type of a system. Our philosophy, Mr. Chairman, has been to push out the decision-making authority, resources, financial and human resources to the regional level because we feel it would be more appropriate and a lot more responsive to our communities by having that type of structure, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the honourable Member did meet with myself along with Mr. Alexi and had outlined to me the issue he speaks of. There were, as I understand, some proposals that were submitted to the regional board of which there has not been a response. I have no explanation for that. I committed to the Member and I still commit to the Member that we will find out from the board on what happened with those proposals. In respect to the last issue, the fourth one he mentions that did happen to be approved. I did not know that had been the case. He had mentioned the proposal had been in there but I had not received a status report. It was late last week that we did meet. Mr. Chairman, I have made a commitment that we will find out from the board the status of the three proposals, the delay in the response to those proposals and advise him. Thank you.

Thank you. Community Health Programs. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. If you have a motion ready, proceed, Mr. Krutko.

The motion is in order. The motion is being circulated to Members of this committee and has been translated into Inuktitut. To the motion. Question has been called. I do not have a quorum. I will ring the bell. The Chair recognizes a quorum, providing Members are seated. To the motion. Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

--Applause

Thank you. For those Members who were not here, we are on page 6-10. We are considering health and social services. Activity summary is Community Health Program, operations and maintenance, total operations and maintenance, $27.437 million. Agreed?

Agreed.