Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Picco.

Thank you. I would like to follow up on my earlier Member's statement concerning the meeting held last night with the NWTMA. In light of the recent concerns that have developed with health in the Northwest Territories in the past few months, I am wondering if the Minister has instructed his staff, his department, to actually take a review, look at what has happened and put a strategy in place to deal with these issues before they happen again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think as I said before that some of the issues that have developed recently in the public have been specific to the Keewatin area. There was, of course, earlier some concerns in the Baffin as well. I have once again, I will say that we have recognized that we are deficient in some of the monitoring and evaluation, I think of board programs and board services and how they attempted to deliver those services and we have actively developed a monitoring and evaluation unit that we plan to actively utilize in trying to assist boards and ensuring that programs, standards and evaluations are met throughout the territories. Thank you.

Thank you. Question period is over. Mr. Picco, you can conclude your supps.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there were two cursory reviews done on the Keewatin Health Board and the Baffin Health Board. Shortly thereafter, we had the public recommendations from the doctor there. I am wondering, has the Minister gone back to review those two cursory reviews, to see if indeed, something should have been done and then we try to get to fix that problem before it occurs. Has he again reviewed the cursory reviews that had been done earlier to indeed, point out the problems. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, those were not cursory reviews, those were in-depth analyses actually of reviews of some of the actions that were ongoing, action plans that were laid out for the boards to follow. Certainly, our staff who are in there now, are working with the trustees in continuing and implementing that plan and current ones that flow into that plan. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not trying to debate the Minister on what has happened, but if they were such indepth reports, then why two months after those reports came out, did we had the crisis where everyone resigned and you had doctors speaking out and so on. Why?

Is that a question? Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to clarify for the record, we did not have everybody resigning. We had one position resign from the Keewatin Regional Health and Social Services Board. There was, as we recognized, some deficiencies and some of the contract employees, over a certain short period over Christmas, where they were not available to provide services. Some of the staffing levels were not up to par. I just wanted to clarify that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I should clarify too, that indeed I said two cursory reviews. There were resignations in my riding also, that was involved in that cursory review. Mr. Speaker, in the cursory review that he spoke about on the Baffin Regional Health Board and on the Keewatin

Regional Health Board, and I realize the Minister has a difficult job and I am not trying to debate, Mr. Speaker. I will ask my supplemental question. Mr. Speaker, if indeed after the NWTMA meeting last night and regard to the cursory reviews, has the Minister forwarded on copies of those cursory reviews on the health board for critique from outside of government and outside the department to see what other experts, like the NWTAM, could say on that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as Members may recall, it was a public document that was distributed to whoever wanted to access a copy. If the honourable Member wants one, I will provide him with one as well. Thank you.

Thank you. Question period is over. Item 7, written questions. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 9, replies to opening address. Item 10, petitions. Item 11, reports of standing and special committees. Item 12, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 13, tabling of documents. Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you. Tabling of documents. Item 14, notices of motion. Item 15, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 16, motions. Item 17, first reading of bills. Item 18, second reading of bills. Item 19, consideration in committee of the whole of bills and other matters. Bill 8, Committee Report 2-13(5), Committee Report 3-13(5), Committee Report 4-13(5), Committee Report 5-13(5), Tabled Document 15-13(5) and Tabled Document 19-13(5). With Mr. Ningark in the Chair.

I would like to call the committee to order. Item 19, consideration committee of the whole, bills and other matters. We have a number of items here. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Ootes.

Do we have the concurrence of the committee that we proceed with Bill 8, Committee Report 2-13(5), Committee Report 3-13(5), Legislative Assembly, followed by Finance and MACA after the break? Thank you.

--Break.