Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to make note that that brief answer really made no commitment to do as I thought the Minister had offered to do at first.

Mr. Speaker, as of March 31, 2000, the GNWT will no longer pay for employee and family counselling services provided by the Northwest Territories Family Counselling Services. They were given only one week to notify their clients. I have concerns about this request and I suspect it could be disruptive and upsetting for clients to change counsellors and agencies in the middle of their treatment.

Mr. Speaker, in the best interest of the Government of the Northwest Territories employee and family counselling plans, will the Premier consider continuing to support these clients of Northwest Territories Family Counselling Services until the completion of their therapy?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The funding shortfall that the organization will face because of the awarding of the contract to a different agency will create some hardship. There is no doubt about that. However, it is not possible for this government to make a commitment to make up the shortfall simply on that basis.

The NWT Family Services has been enjoying funding from this government for a number of years, which I understand is a type of core funding that is in range of a couple hundred thousand dollars. That is expected to continue. There is no way that we can commit at this time to compensate for the shortfall they will face as a result of the recent contract. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Final supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are getting closer and closer to no, as we have gone through this process of answering the question. It is frustrating to know that important social programs are being down-graded in this community while we have time upstairs to make all sorts of renovations to the Ministers offices, to add personnel to this government in the Executive, and all the while we are cutting social programs.

Mr. Speaker, I asked the Minister if he would consider in the interest of fairness for employees currently undertaking counselling at NWT Family Counselling Services, will he agree to allow that counselling to continue as long as the treatment is in progress, or until those clients can be concluded in the treatment process, rather than having to switch halfway through a program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is no way to please the Member. As you would gather, anytime there is an increase of resources centred anywhere within ten miles of Yellowknife, there is a huge outcry in the outlying communities.

The fact is, this organization is already funded in the neighbourhood of $200,000 by this government. We expect we will be able to maintain that. They have lost a contract. They are no longer required by this government to provide that service.

And if they were any other type of business organization, we would expect them to try to re-organize and maintain under existing resources. I have tried to refrain from indicating that we shut the door on the possibility that they may enjoy additional resources. It is not in my prerogative to decide by myself where funding should be allocated.

I have suggested that I would like to leave that until Cabinet has met and had time to decide where the limited resources we have should be best allocated. Talking about what is going on in different parts of the government is of no help at all. If the Member wishes to flail away, then there is little I can do about it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Just a reminder to the Members that your main question is where you are trying to seek information. Your supplementary is where you try to ask more questions on that information. I do not think we should be getting out of the range of your original oral question to seek information. If we could keep that in mind, please.

To the Ministers, if you could be precise to assist in the supplementaries by trying to answer the questions being raised by the Members. If we could follow that process, hopefully we will get through it today.

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is addressed to the Minister responsible for Youth, Mr. Allen.

On the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a brunch with the Let's Write Leadership Program with Mr. Allen. Although he was in town for just a private weekend, he agreed to go to the leadership program. At the leadership program, he met with all the students, the mayor, as well as the house-parents. At that brunch, the Minister indicated he had a talk with the Premier, and he gave some very heartening words to the students. I would like to ask the Minister if he would care to repeat in this forum those words he gave to the students that gave them hope that the program has a future.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Minister responsible for Youth, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I must confirm with the Member that I did make an address on our behalf to the leadership, parents, as well as the Member, and also with the mayor of Fort Smith in attendance.

I did advise the leadership home that I would continue to play a role with the Premier, as he was the original founder of this great idea of the schools. It brings back memories of my own days as a resident of the school system. I also indicated to the group that I would be in communication with the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, to discuss continued funding beyond a year-to-year interval. We felt that a longer term of funding would give us more stability in the program. That is the message I have delivered on behalf of our government. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the leadership program, the board, and the parents have indicated in the letter they wrote to all the MLAs that they are under certain time constraints. They have to make a decision early in April as to whether they are going to be able to recruit again for the coming year. I would like to ask the Minister whether he would be able to, by that time, discuss this matter with his colleagues and have some sort of signal sent back to the leadership board, as to whether they are going to be able to continue on? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Minister responsible for Youth, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is important that we get together with the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment to try to find out where we can get additional funding.

As I said in my remarks to the school on Saturday, we would look at funding beyond a year-to-year interval. I can assure the Member that I will continue to investigate that option. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister for that reply. There was just one part missing. Could the Minister indicate how early in April some communication could be had with the leadership program itself, so they may know whether or not they should be advertising and recruiting for the program for next year? Thank you.

The Minister responsible for Youth, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you can see, I am conferring with the Minister of Education, trying to find some resolution to the question. I would just like to assure the Member that they can go ahead and recruit for next year. I am sure in the interim, we will be able to discuss the needed funding to continue to support the leadership program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not aware whether or not the Stanton Regional Health Board consulted the Dogrib Community Services Board with respect to the provision of the service.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.