Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for MACA, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have been discussing this issue with my department. This is not a new initiative that is being proposed by any one community. It has been in the works for a while, but what has to be addressed is if it is a multi-purpose complex, then the community has to address the O and M funding after the complex is built. They have to address where the O and M funding would come from. For instance, if it involves some social programs in the complex, then the proposal would have to show some funding coming from that department as well. Therefore, it is not just a matter of the capital funding. It is a matter of the O and M funding as well. The department says it is not as easy as it sounds to address the proposed program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for MACA, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the complex was in fact designed for more than one use, in other words, from the recreation aspect of it, MACA would fund that. That would include funding for utilities. However, if the complex was designed in such a manner that it also can accommodate some social programs like day care or whatever else the community wants to design it for, then some of that capital funding would have to come from those programs as well. Furthermore, the community would be expected to obtain the O and M funding for that aspect of the programs in the building from the other departments. That part has to be sorted out. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for MACA, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Minister for MACA, I most certainly would follow up on the suggestion. I do agree with the Member that it is a good initiative and there would be cost savings in the long run. I will follow up on whether or not we can have some kind of a multi-complex funding program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question at this time will be directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services, in light of his Minister's statement and my own Member's statement in a similar area.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that in this fiscal year we are in, approximately $2 million, in that range, has been identified for early childhood development programs. My understanding is that it has just been recently that some of those dollars have started to be expended. They have been expended by the department itself, not non-government organizations.

I am interested in the area of early childhood development and what this department is doing. First of all, Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what is included in his child development resource kits or his healthy family kits? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the child development resource kits, this is a kit that will allow the child development support workers to help stimulate parent-child interaction and to provide assistance for children with developmental delays.

The kit will consist of toys to stimulate the children's physical, sensory and cognitive development. For example, stacking blocks, books, dressing dolls, crayons and puzzles, et cetera. The design is to have 75 kits distributed to community health centres or public health units by May or June of 2002.

Mr. Speaker, in regard to the healthy family learning kits, we are looking at a series of six healthy family learning kits which will be put out to families during the key developmental milestones of children and when children come out for vaccinations the distribution will begin with newborns. The first prenatal kit is scheduled for completion in April 2002. The kits will be age appropriate and will include activity cards with games, songs and other activities parents can do with their children.

Each item in the kit will help promote key messages to reinforce healthy behaviour. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister said age-appropriate kits, especially the healthy family kits and the first package will be out in April, but he did not say what was age appropriate. What is it, for example, in the prenatal kit?

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the prenatal it is going to be information for the mother, healthy pregnancy key messaging such as refraining from drinking, proper diet and exercise. From birth to six months we are going to be giving out information on developmental milestones, what the parents should look for, what the mother should look for.

We are going to give a diaper bag. We are going to give out more information in terms of what should be done to ensure that the child is given the appropriate care and attention. We are going to have fridge magnets with appropriate messages. We want to make sure that there is as much information as possible for the parents of a newborn. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is good to know diaper bags and fridge magnets will be going out there with information for mothers, but is there anything further that the department will be doing to try and deal with the issue of childhood development, especially prenatal? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for Health, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, very clearly these are just tools. There is going to be work with the family visitors, the child development workers. There is going to be the work that is done as a matter of course, prenatal work done with public health. There is going to be the tie in with social workers and with Education. This is not just an isolated issue or delivery of specific equipment, but it is tied in with the broad range of support that the department, along with Education, already provides in the communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Roland.