Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Health and Social Services Department is one of the largest departments of this government. Certainly the health of all Northerners is a concern. FAS is a major problem that we are facing in the Northwest Territories. Another major problem is the high rate of cancer amongst our people, especially in the smaller communities. Those issues are addressed by the standing committee's report and other Members of the House.
What I specifically want to touch on today is the long-and short-term health benefits that the GNWT wants to give up, the contractual arrangement with the federal government. I keep getting different answers. The Minister in her Minister's statement today indicated that if the discussions worked out, the department would advise the Financial Management Board to continue for another year and would monitor the delivery of programs and services we have with the federal government in relation to the non-insured health benefits.
In her comments today in front of this committee, she indicated that $5.5 million of this budget is not in the budget. So the first question I have, if they are going to continue delivering the programs, I guess we will have to go through supplementary appropriation, which shows a very short-sightedness by the department, from my perspective.
The immediate question I have, this is a program that the Government of the Northwest Territories has been delivering for the last 12 years on behalf of treaty aboriginal people and the Inuit people. People are familiar with what an individual has to do to get services. I am not sure how the department is going to handle someone that needs to go to Edmonton for medical assistance. What is a person going to do if he has to go and get glasses, or dental work, or prescription drugs? Those are immediate questions.
I am not comfortable with the fact that the department has done any kind of consultation. If they have, I would like to know what they consider consultation? Have they met with the chiefs of the Dene Nation, et cetera? Have they met with the Nunavut government in terms of the Inuit benefits? Have they met with the Inuit people who are living in the Northwest Territories? How is that going to affect them? Those are the immediate concerns that I have.
Another question that I have is the department is saying that the federal government is not paying for a lot of the services the government is doing. It is not paying for services that they agreed to, to begin with 12 years ago. What services has the federal government declined to pay? What objects have they declined to pay for? Is it medical travel? Is it glasses? If so, has the Department of Justice and the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs been involved in that? Under the contractual arrangement, they agree to watch over and deliver programs and services that are aboriginal and treaty rights. If the federal government has declined to pay for those, then the treaty rights of these individuals, treaty Indians and Inuit, are being deteriorated.
Has the department protected the treaty rights of the Dene people and Inuit people? Those are some of the questions that I have and I will give the Minister a chance to respond to some of those. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.