Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to make a few comments on the department, and then ask some questions when we go through the department. As we've heard many times, Mr. Chairman, with the programs and services that we're trying to deliver in the Northwest Territories, it always comes down to the amount of dollars that we have to deliver the programs on an equitable basis. When I hear the Minister talk about changing programs and completely overhauling a system, whether it be in alcohol and drugs or family abuse or mental health, it kind of concerns me that making wholesale changes it maybe just a way of getting around putting the proper dollars to address the programs that we're trying to put out there.

I know that the Minister has stated that in making some of the changes in alcohol and drugs, for example, and trying to address that through an integrated service, and I've heard him mention that they've worked with frontline workers and that they're all up to speed on what's happening in that area. That's certainly different from what I've been hearing as far as how much input and consultation the frontline workers have had in this. I have to question, over the past few years I've heard many times that when different professions try to integrate a service and when somebody is identified as having a problem in one area and then trying to address a related problem, that there are many issues that come into play as far as privacy issues, trying to get information, giving information on another person. It seems to be a problem that has held us up many times. I know school teachers talk about it all the time. I would like to know if the Minister could comment on what types of issues he sees having to deal with in an integrated service when it comes to the ability to pass on information from one. If you're going to be dealing with different areas, what the issues are going to be as far as dealing with those privacy issues. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, of course the most fundamental issue in the question posed by Mr. Delorey is going to be that of confidentiality. Confidentiality has been an issue that has been on the table since the very first moment they announced the amalgamation of Health and Social Services. It's an issue that can be resolved and dealt with if you have people all working for the same employer with the same oath of office in terms of respecting the confidentiality and all the ethics and conduct that's required. It's something that we have to keep working at. I know it's an issue still in some areas when it comes to case management between practitioners of different kinds. In my opinion, a lot of it is a reason not to do things. It's a reason to prepare the status quo. But the reality is, in my mind, when you have a health centre that has nurses, social workers, CHRs and doctors, that they have to be able to sit down as professionals and colleagues to come up with a course of action clearly respecting the whole issue of confidentiality and privacy, but being able to do their jobs. Or if they're unable to do that, then the integrated service delivery model is nothing but a label and we should just publicly stand up and say we will do everything in iron clad stovepipes and we will continue to have a fragmented service delivery model. But I don't think that's a direction that we can afford to go and that people want to go. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would hope that the department has a good idea as to whether or not they will be able to go forward as an integrated service.

I also have some concerns as to how we're going to attract people to work in this integrated service. For example, I have addressed alcohol and drugs for a number of occasions in this Assembly with the Minister, in the line of putting some criteria in place for qualifications for alcohol and drug workers. I have never been able to get the Minister to say that he would recognize alcohol and drug workers as a profession. Now we're not going to make them alcohol and drug workers anymore, we're going to reclassify them and make them prevention workers, from what I understand. I would like to know from the Minister what types of qualifications are a person going to have to have to be a prevention worker. If we're going to be dealing with an integrated service under the umbrella of mental health, I would suspect that somebody would have to have far more qualifications to deal with an integrated service than they would have to have strictly as an alcohol and drug counselor. I think that the services are very distinct and there may be some similarities, but I'm sure that there are many areas where they're not connected whatsoever, although we would like to think that everything comes under mental health. So I would like to know from the Minister what types of qualifications is a prevention worker going to need, for example. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We're in the process of developing the job description. It will lay out the requirements, skills and responsibilities of the position. I would just like to restate the commitment that I made earlier in the House to the concern raised. The intent is to work with existing staff to help them develop their skills, to do an assessment on an individual basis of where they are in terms of their professional need for development. By April we hope to have a job description outlining all the duties I've just touched on, which we would then bring forward to committee for review. But the concept is as I've outlined. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Do we have any figures now? Does the department have any figures at all as to how many people are working out there in the field right now who will fully qualify as prevention workers right from the get go when this new integrated service is implemented? How many will require training? How many have indicated that they would be willing to take further training? And what do we do with them if they don't want to take further training? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the numbers we have is that at present about 45 who would be prevention workers currently in the system. We are going to develop the job description, and then we're going to do a review on a position-by-position basis of the capacities, capabilities and career aspirations of the various incumbents. We will work from that in terms of determining if they want to make this a career, as well, or not. Based on that decision we will proceed. But the intent is to go to the incumbents and to offer them every opportunity to make transition into the role of a prevention worker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In another area, I think it's great news that I hear that we're starting to use nurse practitioners. I think we have one in Hay River now, and I think that's a great way. I agree with that approach. But on another area, I know in Hay River for a number of years now, we have been without the proper professionals for our residents to be able to give birth in Hay River, and it does create for a number of women having to travel to Yellowknife or south to give birth. I know that we're talking about passing legislation to be able to use midwives, and I think there's even a midwife scheduled to come to Hay River. But I'm pretty sure in the south anyway, that wherever they use midwives there are some pretty stringent rules as to where they can use midwives and what type of professional service has to be available at those locations. I don't know what the procedures will be in the North here when we start using midwives. But I know in Hay River we would need right now a GP anesthetist and a GP surgeon if we're going to be able to have women give birth in Hay River. It's one of the basic services that we would really like to have in Hay River. Is the Minister aware of what services in Hay River would be needed along with a midwife, before we could have a full service as far as women giving birth in Hay River? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, dealing with what would be termed a normal birth; in Fort Smith, for example, there are currently a number of births being done in the community just with midwives, with some assistance and back-up where required from the health system. What we are moving towards is legislation for midwives, protocols with the doctors and all the other caregivers, the nurses, so it is very clear that midwives are part of the team that provides the service. So we're working our way through that. We have a project in the works through the primary health care transition fund, to try to get that up and running. We hope to have legislation ready for introduction in this House for midwives. They've been doing extensive work over the last year or so, working on the protocols to integrate midwives into the operation with nurses and doctors. This would be, for the most part, for normal births.

If, in fact, the intention was to move to a Yellowknife model where they deal with all the other births, then it is a much more expensive proposition, as the Member indicated, requiring an anesthesiologist and obstetricians and surgeons and such. At this point, that is not the plan when it comes to birthing services outside of Yellowknife. We want to try to provide a fully staffed complement here in Yellowknife, and then work with the communities to develop birthing services, a level for the more normal births. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wanted to follow up on something that I didn't have time for the first time around. It has to do with the fact that the 11 positions that were promised of child protection workers as a result of the League of Child Welfare report. Mr. Chairman, I do believe that we remember it very clearly when this government made a commitment, and I recall that there were child protection workers in the gallery and it was, I thought, a pretty strong commitment on the part of this government to follow up on that. My colleague, Mr. Dent, had already mentioned this. I just want to articulate and make it clear for the record that I do not agree with the government withdrawing the commitment and deferring this to next year. I do believe that these child welfare workers and social workers in the city, as well as in the communities, made a very clear case about their workload and the need for having adequate workers there to take care of the case loads. So I do appreciate that the Minister has mentioned that this is deferred for one year and he will bring it back next year, but we're going to be looking at a new Assembly, a new government, and it is very disappointing. I wanted to put that on the record, that I feel very badly that this area has fallen victim to some of the cost cutting measures.

Another thing relating to that that I wanted to speak about is something that is not easy to explain and I don't want to be misunderstood, but there seems to be some sense in the city that there is too much apprehension of children going on. I'll be the first one to support apprehension of children if any child is in danger. It is when the child is in danger and needs protection that that needs to be done. It concerns me a great deal when people speak about whether or not we're doing the right thing by it. At the same time, I have...

Ms. Lee, the Chair is going to recognize the clock and rise and report progress. Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger, and your witnesses for appearing.

I would like to call the House back to order. At this time I will ask for the report of Committee of the Whole. Mr. Delorey.

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 3, Appropriation Act, 2003-2004, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Do we have a seconder for that? Mr. Nitah. All in favour? All opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Item 22, third reading of bills. Mr. Clerk, item 23, orders of the day.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. This House stands adjourned until Tuesday, February 18, 2003, at 1:30 p.m.

---ADJOURNMENT

The House adjourned at 6:00 p.m.