Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, no. None of the programs would be delivered in southern institutions. They are all northern programs, mainly at the community-level or the department level, but I do not see anything that would be southern. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Krutko.

The reason I ask, I believe in the total budget there are some $2.4 million which are spent in foster homes in Alberta. If anything, I think we should be ensuring that we develop the capacity in the North to retain those children in the Northwest Territories and not send them to southern institutions.

The Minister mentioned that it is spent in the North. Are they spent at headquarters? At the regional level? You mentioned that they are spent in the communities, but I would like to know exactly where and in which communities those expenditures are made.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Handley.

Most of it is being spent in the communities. Going through it very quickly:

• • Healthy Family kits are presented to parents of children at birth and so on. That would go to all families in all communities;
• • Read To Me kits are provided to all families in all communities;
• • Public awareness campaign, targeted all communities;
• • Child Talk Program will be piloted in selected communities. I am not sure which ones;
• • The Speech Aid Program is for all communities;
• • Speech language services, which would be hiring one speech pathologist for the Northwest Territories;
• • Language Nests, which would be at all communities; and
• • Screening and intervention tool is targeted at children in all communities.

When I go through the list, it looks like pretty well everything is either for all communities, or if it is being piloted it will be for selected communities. All of it is in the North and practically all of it is in the communities and not in headquarters. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Children's programs, not previously authorized, $1,221,000.

Total department, $9,703,974.

We will go on to Justice, operations expenditures, services to government, not previously authorized, $10,000. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have one question in this area. This is an ongoing process, this Grollier Hall Residential School claimants. I am just wondering why this would come forward this early in the fiscal year. Would we not go through the process and as the department is running low on funds, then come forward with this requirement? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, for clarification, this is not for settlements, but it is to enable the government to participate in the alternative dispute resolution process. It may go on for a number of years. From here on, it may be built into the base, but for the time being, it has appeared here.

In addition to the $10,000, which is for GNWT legal counsel to travel, the ADR process, there is also another $190,000 that is included in here which is for travel for claimants and for mediation services. Again, that is an ongoing cost as well.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That is my point exactly; it is an ongoing cost. This is not a new process. You would think that whether it is for travel for GNWT legal counsel or for claimants, that because it is an ongoing process, there would be some money built into the budget. We know it is going to be ongoing, whether it is this fiscal year to another fiscal year. It is an ongoing process. Why would it come in at this time? Why was it not put into the main estimates? Why is it in? I guess if it is going to come through as a supplementary appropriation, why would it come in so early in the fiscal year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, at the time we were developing our business plans and budgets, we did not know what progress would be made. Since that time, we have found that the ADR process has been positively received by the claimants and hearings have been scheduled and in some cases, they have been held. Our hope would be that this process would be completed fairly quickly, but depending on how much progress we are making, it may not have to appear at all in next year's budget, or we may have to budget for it again. Since it is negotiated, it is difficult to predict what the expenditures or the needs will be from year to year.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The other part of the question is why would it come in so early in the fiscal year? Is the department already in a state where they are tight on funding that it needs to come forward this early in the fiscal year?

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, the Department of Justice has looked at their budget and they do not see any surplus at all within their budget and feel a need to have this approved early. They have no surplus to work with.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Services to government, not previously authorized, $10,000. Agreed.