Would the Sergeant-at-Arms please escort the witnesses in? Mr. Minister for the record, could you please introduce your witness?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With me is Mr. Lew Voytilla, secretary to the Financial Management Board. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Health and Social Services, operations expenditures, directorate and corporate services, primary and acute care programs, $7,282,974. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, today in her statement, the Minister of Health and Social Services talked about recruitment and retention of nurses in particular. I note here that we are talking about $1.4 million to stabilize the recruitment and retention of physicians. In her statement, the Minister talks about the quality of life in the North, and I think we would all agree that most of us who live here would say that the quality of life is certainly one reason that people should want to live here.

There is nothing in here that talks about recruitment and retention of nurses, and I am just wondering if we could find out -- are we not expecting to see any increase in the cost for the recruitment and retention of nurses? If so, if it is not in the supplementary, are there plans to bring it forward in, say, a subsequent supplementary appropriation?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, no, we do not at this time anticipate anything that we will have to put into these sups, but certainly as we get into collective bargaining, there may be increases there. We cannot predict that. There are already a number of activities, as the Minister outlined today in her statement, which are underway. There are no additional dollars in here for recruitment.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Dent.

Thank you. Mr. Chairman, the Minister's statement today also talked about an advertisement that advertised a meeting in Yellowknife for a southern firm to try and attract nurses to move to California with lucrative financial incentives. Are we going to make sure that we have someone attending this meeting and paying some attention to what the offers are, so that we can be proactive with our retention strategy, if it requires us to react with what the offers are that are out there? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, I expect that the department will be monitoring it. I am not sure if it is a public meeting or interviews with interested candidates, but I expect anything that is public, the Department of Health and Social Services will be monitoring what is happening. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to now ask some questions about the $3.9 million for forced growth for health and social services boards. Can the Minister advise us how many of these boards have approved budgets -- that is budgets that have been formally approved by the Department of Health and Social Services -- for this current fiscal year?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, these boards are working with the department on their budget. The funding in here is part of the exercise. So assuming that this is improved, they would have approved budgets shortly. Mr. Chairman, I will refer to the Minister of Health and Social Services, but I do not believe that any of them have "approved budgets."

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mrs. Groenewegen.

I am sorry, Mr. Chairman. I did not hear what it was that the Minister of Finance said, or FMBS said. What was that? I am sorry.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, I had just pointed out that I do not believe that any of the boards have approved budgets. This exercise is one where our staff are working to finalize and refine these budgets.

This amount of money that is in here is what is necessary to be able to complete the exercise of finalizing budgets. However, I turned it over the Minister of Health and Social Services in case she has different information. I do not believe that any of them have approved budgets.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mrs. Groenewegen, did you have anything to add to that?

No, nothing to add.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I understand it then, the Minister is saying that once we approve this supplementary appropriation, the department will approve the budgets submitted by all of these health boards? Is that what I am to understand from his comments?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, the staff are working with the boards. They are basically doing three things. Number one is implementing a standard chart of accounts for the boards. Second is to undertake a base review of all the board operations and their financial requirements. Third is to build budgets for this fiscal year that are consistent in format and reflect their actual operating requirements.

We expect this amount of money here should enable the staff to be able to work with the boards and finalize budgets, and then have approved budgets.