Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, we were working on the detail that carried on past the budgeting process. We had a committee in place from the region that had staff people and local representatives and staff people, as well as from the Inuvik region. The work wasn't complete in time. We didn't have the detail. We didn't go to Cabinet for the final approval until May. We didn't get FMB approval until August. We had to keep working on the numbers and the costing and the interim financing arrangements. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Bell.

Is some of the new money that we've received from the Government of Canada through the health accord being used to set this up? Is this new money from the federal government? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Minister of Health and Social Services.

No, it isn't, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I can certainly appreciate that people in the Sahtu region are interested in taking on their own responsibility for managing their own programs and services; that makes sense. But obviously there is a cost to this. We've just talked about what that cost might be. I am wondering if the Minister is concerned that we won't be able to afford this on an ongoing basis. Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the issue of a sustainable health and social services system is one of concern to us all. On the governance side, which is the issue in terms of setting up the board, what will be coming in early in the 15th Assembly will be the discussion of the role and future of boards and agencies and whether we should use an approach like the community services board, should we have any board at all, should there only be a couple? We've seen the discussion around the Stanton board, for example. So it's going to be a discussion that's going to carry on past the life of this Assembly. I don't have the final answer on the governance side.

Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There's been some discussion earlier today that this may have come about because of self-government negotiations processing. Would the Minister agree that this new structure is being created in order to meet the requirements that we have in bringing forward self-government?

Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would agree that that is definitely one of the factors.

Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I believe the Premier -- it's reported in the media anyway -- wrote a letter to the Inuvik Drum on January 16th indicating that the new board was being considered because of self-government talks that created a regional authority through the Inuvialuit and Gwich'in. I hope this was being reported accurately. I am wondering then if the Minister would characterize this as an incremental cost of self-government.

Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, that case will be made as the negotiations proceed, as the Members of the 13th Assembly will remember, the incremental cost with the federal government is very difficult. In the meantime, we are seeing a lot of pressure there. It was there because of self-government. We are proceeding to fund this with our own resources. It's also part of the political and program evolution that has taken place across the North in the last decade or so when you look at how regions have become more self-sufficient. Thank you.

Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Minister has indicated that the health accord funding isn't new. Can he remind us about the health accord funding, if it's ongoing, how much in total it is and where it has to be spent?

Minister of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Chairman, I didn't catch the first part of the question; I'm sorry.

Mr. Dent, could you rephrase your question?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would just like to get a reminder of the health accord funding, what the program encompasses.

Mr. Handley.