Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. We are on page 6-29, activity summary, health services programs, operations expenditure summary, $149.105 million. Mr. Braden.

Okay. Page 6-29. Mr. Chairman, in this program area I know that we're looking at getting a more concerted effort underway in the area of aboriginal wellness and there is some part of this budget allocated to, I understand, hiring some coordinators in various centres in the NWT. I wanted to ask the Minister to what extent we are able to launch this program. Have we got adequate resources? What are, in a summary, Mr. Chairman, the coming business year's program going to be to expand our focus on aboriginal wellness?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, if the Member is referring to the $180,000, there's a coordinator's position and a half-time health and social services liaison worker, and a child life worker, both half-time. There will be funding for a traditional healer, as well, and two community liaison workers, as I understand. Mr. Chairman, as well, I mean, if you look at the health services programs, there's a whole list of issues that look on the prevention side. We have, of course, 184 for the wellness program, we're doing vaccination programs, we're going to expand the nurse practitioners, we have the rehabilitations team on this, we're putting in nurse practitioners which are going to work in the communities, hopefully help us deal more effectively at the community level, we're looking at getting a chief environmental health officer, to name some other things that will have an impact on the prevention for all northerners, 65 percent or 50 percent of whom are aboriginal, as has been pointed out.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I welcome this initiative. I think it's something that Social Programs has been looking for. We saw what our neighbours over in the Yukon are doing with some specific focus and it is very encouraging. What are the expectations that the

department has for or from this particular program? Are there things that we're trying to do now with, if you will, conventional medicine or medical practice that aren't getting results among the aboriginal community? How is this going to improve the delivery of health care to the aboriginal people, Mr. Chairman?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, first I'd like to recognize the fact that most communities that I've been in, all the hospitals, all the communities I've been in do make efforts and I think are very sensitive to the culture where they operate. But there has never been a clear funding arrangement and a program recognition. It's been done because it makes good sense. It's been done just as part of daily practice. If you travel to Whitehorse and you look at the health centre there or the hospital there, you see that they recognize that there's value and a benefit to the combination of traditional medicine and practice with western medicine and practice that allows people that may not feel as comfortable as they could without that support to be more comfortable, to be better treated. They deal with a lot of the translation issues, the traditional food issues, the combination of practices, especially when it comes to a time of severe sickness or palliative care. So I think it's an overdue recognition that there's more than one way that medicine can be delivered, and that it's been done other ways for thousands of years, and we're looking at trying to incorporate that practice into the standard western practice, the health model that we currently have. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Anything further, Mr. Braden?

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Also in this area there is some enhancement, I understand, to the delivery of some cancer treatments at the Stanton facility. We are, I understand, endeavouring to expand our program of care and treatment in that area. I'm encouraged by this. If we can help patients stay closer to home while they're receiving this treatment and potentially save ourselves some money, that's great. I guess I wanted to find out what is changing that allows us now to do this at Stanton hospital. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'll ask Mr. Murray to speak to the specifics of the improved cancer treatments.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Murray.

Thank you, Mr. Murray. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That's all for me on this page. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. We're on page 6-29, activity summary, health services programs, operations expenditure summary, $149.105 million.

Page 6-31, activity summary, health services programs, grants and contributions, grants, total grants, $25,000, contributions, total contributions, $118.393 million.

Total grants and contributions, $118.418 million.

Ms. Lee.