We know that the Standing Committee on Social Programs has repeatedly supported a dementia centre in Yellowknife and this larger objective we need to keep in mind. Mr. Speaker, we also know that the previous Minister had approved $1 million for planning of this project, which was not completely accessible because the scope of the project had to be reprofiled.
Within a month of the new Minister of Health and Social Services taking over the portfolio, we know that he met
with the YACCS board to go over where we are with this project, and I believe it was strongly suggested that a price tag of $20 million-plus would have difficulty finding a place in our capital infrastructure plan. But a reprofiled and rescoped project that would bring the price tag down to a reasonable level, about two-thirds of that, is something that he's willing to look at, and has instructed his staff to work with the YACCS to work together to achieve that.
In talking with people at the YACCS, Mr. Speaker, I know that they have been working diligently to make this happen. Mr. Speaker, we also know that this is a normal process of getting a capital project into the planning process. A lot of work has to go in, in putting together a capital project documentation and get through the competitive process, through the line department's budget process, and then at the Cabinet level, and then through the standing committee review process before any budget item makes it into the House for a vote. We also know that approval of no capital project is a certain thing until it's voted in the House as we're doing in this session, but the first step is to work through the business planning process and get it into the government's business plan, and I believe this project is making progress in that regard.
Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to complete my statement?