Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today is for the Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, I represent two communities in the Assembly. I also have two health boards to represent the people in these two communities. When these two boards were formed after the conclusion of the Mackenzie Health, funding transferred to local control was very low as always, Mr. Speaker.

As a result, one of the communities had to dismantle its board, leaving individuals in the community to do the work of delivering programs and services in this area with very little resources for staff support. The other one is working very hard, as we speak, to get over the deficit.

Mr. Speaker, the boards in the community, after they took control and have done some great work in delivering programs, have an understanding of the specific needs of each community and the members.

Unfortunately, they do not have the proper resources to do the kind of work that is really necessary. The kind of work that this government wants to be done in the communities in terms of educating people on smoking and the effects of drug and alcohol abuse, et cetera.

Can the Minister tell the House whether the block funding formula makes allowances for forced growth at the board level? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.