Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It is indeed a small cost if we're talking salaries of $100,000 a year plus, but these elders are only making $800 or $900 a month, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

So I'd like to ask the Minister again, will he consider at least some type of subsidy for the long-term care facility for our elders and seniors and give them the respect they deserve? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the reality is that we have some of the best seniors programs in the country in the Northwest Territories.

We have a very high regard and respect for the seniors and elders who have come to that point in their lives and whose footsteps we are following. So, Mr. Speaker, we already provide a

service, as I indicated, that is already subsidized and that plan is to keep the current arrangement in place. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Just on a similar topic would be with respect to treaty rights. Some of our elders are in there and they're paying for health care. Do we not have a fiduciary responsibility to our aboriginal seniors to take care of their health? Will the Minister answer that, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you. That's pushing a bit of a different line of questioning, I think, Mr. Menicoche, but I'll allow Mr. Miltenberger to answer. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have arrangements with the federal government where we administer some programs on their behalf, non-insured health benefits as well as medical hospital services to Indian and Inuit, but long-term care is not covered under that arrangement. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board Secretariat, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, every department budgets what they think they're going to need to have to operate for that fiscal year. That, as well, means having the personnel to do the job. If they're unable to fill those jobs, then they keep the money or they can use it to hire a part-time contractor to try to fill up some of that void if the work becomes absolutely necessary and is critical to getting the job done. Otherwise, for example, if we're putting out and trying to hire people to fill those positions, we have to have the dollars on hand at that point. So if the positions are filled, those dollars then apply. If they're not filled for three-quarters of the year, then potentially the department and the managers within that department have an ability to move some of that money around to where they need more money, whether that be in the travel area or different parts of the department. Of course, as they do that reporting procedures kick into place; for example, interdepartmental transfers come into play and we report that as we go forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Speaker, my next question for the Minister would be what policy directs that money if it's not spent on salaries? When he described moved money, how is that reported into the House with that policy or lack of policy that exists? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Two questions there. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the things that kicks in is on a quarterly basis when departments do a variance report and submit them to FMBS. As well, for transfers that happen within departments from one approval area to another, there's a report that's brought to this House and it's an interdepartmental transfer activity. That's one of the ways we do it. As well, if they're unable to spend that money by year end -- not that we encourage it -- if the money that's allocated isn't spent, it's put back into the consolidated revenue. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that there are places out there that are starving for money to hire maintainers for buildings and whatnot, yet we have certain departments that have continuous vacancies. Would the Minister be willing to look at addressing this by way of a new policy that directs the dissolution of a position that has remained vacant for over a year, so we can assist other departments that struggle for justifying positions? Would he be interested in looking at a policy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we, as a government, have undertaken a number of initiatives now to identify and improve on our human resource systems and one of the areas of our Human Resource Service Centre approach is to consolidate information and have a clear set of criteria for every department to use. So we undergo on an annual basis, and on a monthly basis with some departments, an accounting for where they're spending their money. The Ministers already do that through the budget exercise we go through. In this case, we're capping the growth of government and each Minister was then given direction to find the 4.15 percent from within their budget and then, based on committee recommendations, some adjustments were made. So to actually come up with an

overall policy, it's something that the government has already considered and when the Ministers come forward for the reductions, that's one of the areas they use to identify positions they think they can get on with on an annual basis without having an impact on delivery. Thank you.

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