Total department, not previously authorized, $138,000.

Page 6, Executive, operations expenditures, executive offices, not previously authorized, $199,000. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you. Madam Chair, the question I have for the Minister, Madam Chair, is the survey on family violence is $75,000. Madam Chair, there are a number of surveys, a number of reports, a number of recommendations and I want to ask the Minister, Madam Chair, in terms of expenditures on this to tell us that we have an issue, tell us that there are action plans already being discussed and recommended. I would like to get more clarification on this survey of $75,000 to tell people in the Northwest Territories that we have an issue and we have problems with family violence. I am trying to figure out why they have a survey. Other recommendations have been done before in terms of family violence. There are certainly issues in the North here. Also to look at, Madam Chair, the territorial family violence conference and put that money towards the uses of front-line workers instead of spending $120,000 there. So I would like to ask with regard to these two specific funding issues here. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a breakdown of what makes up the numbers for the survey of $75,000 and for the conference of $120,000 for details of how that conference and survey will go...I would ask the Premier to give that detail.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, I will answer the question with regard to the survey. The survey is being done because we have been working to reduce violence and so on. We don't have any baseline data, so we need to have a baseline data that we could work from to know the areas where we need to put more effort on public education, prevention strategies and so on. The survey would involve a sample size of 750 respondents and would be distributed amongst various strata within the different communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the family violence survey in terms of collecting baseline data to residents in the Northwest Territories and the 750 respondents talking about information. I think there is already existing information within the system that could be used already. I haven't seen the survey myself, so I am not sure what type of survey it's going to be. Is this a matter of collecting baseline data? There is data already in the system on family violence. I am not sure about that one.

I want to ask the Minister regarding the family violence conference and the use of this conference. What is the purpose of having this conference? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. With regard to the conference, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to mention first that we work along with a lot of other partnerships like with NGOs and so on. So it's not always our decision or direction in terms of what will happen.

The people on the Coalition Against Family Violence feel quite strongly about the conference. They feel a need to build that awareness and at the same time do some training. The conference will accommodate 120 participants from across the North. It's broken down into four sessions. Each session focuses on one action that has impacts in communities. They will use some expertise, as well as facilitators in the groups, and will use this information and the consensus that they achieve in order to help them to develop better programming, better intervention techniques and a better focus. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have no issue with better training for front-line workers, better resources but I am having somewhat of a difficult time having another conference telling us this is what we have to do. It's been an issue in our communities for a long, long time. Front-line workers know the issue of family violence and they know they work with different coalitions such as the Family Violence Working Committee. This money has been spent to bring in 120 workers from different areas of the Northwest Territories to look at training, look at different areas they can work on to reduce, minimize and prevent family violence in our communities. I am having a hard time with the $120,000 expenditure. I think this money could be used for going into the regions and tackle the problem as there is always a lack of money with these hard-working committees that work on such issues as family violence. It certainly could be used now. I certainly don't understand the need for a conference to tell us we have an issue with family violence. I would ask the Premier if they have anything new to add in our discussion here.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, I don't get to all of the coalition and government meetings. Again, there have been a number of meetings. They have, in the Framework for Action - Phase II, there is a whole list of actions in there that have been laid out. The consensus among all the partnership is that this is an opportunity to bring in one caregiver from each community and experts both from the North and from the South. The culmination of those people to take a look at the actions that are identified and determine what is the best way of being able to put those in place. So it's a conference, but it's not just a conference to blue sky about what we might do, but it's more a conference of how we go about

implementing the framework in a way that is going to be most meaningful to the communities. Of course, as well, there is also work that has to be done on the survey and collection of baseline data. What kind of data do we want? Make sure that this doesn't just fit the experts' ideas of what it should be, but also the caregivers from the communities. So it's a combination of both coming together. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to confirm my support for these hard-working people that deal with family violence in our communities. We need every type of support. We need to work with the family, the children, the abuser and victim. They have to work with the whole community on this issue. Family violence is a very powerful, very sensitive, we have to be very careful to work with the family on this issue here.

What I want to say, Madam Chair, is some of the family violence workers are underpaid. Sometimes they are in term positions and sometimes they have to leave their job early because there is no funding left in the program. There is a lack of funding in the program. I am again telling that to the Minister. The territorial family violence conference, I am not sure if that could be coming at a later time. I think this money could be used to help fund our workers. There are workers in my region being laid off because there is no funding in the system. There are workers that need to be supported in the schools where family violence is often not talked about. So there are small children. We know what is happening in our communities.

I understand what the Minister is saying about bringing people together and talking and training. I think we need to really look at the workers in terms of supporting them, getting the funding to small communities. I am not too sure how this money is going to be rolled out in terms of community input, community involvement. There will be $75,000 spent in one organization, or go to the health boards to do their own surveys, to do their own recommendation. So I know what he's saying. I want to support the Minister and this is a very good initiative, but I think the money could be used, and that's just my opinion, for the front-line workers and the help they need. The conference could take place some other time. That's my opinion and I want the Minister to know that. I do support him in the issue of helping to deal with family violence in our community.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Okay. Next on the list under Executive, operations expenditures, executive offices, not previously authorized, $199,000. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I've got a number of questions on this as well and it follows up with my colleague Mr. Yakeleya. I guess first of all, the Action Plan on Family Violence was approved by the Assembly I believe 18 months, two years ago, now. It's been around for a little while. I'm just wondering if these two functions, the survey and the territorial family violence conference, are items that are included in phase two of that action plan. Why is the Department of Executive coming back through supplementary appropriations seeking money to have these two things carried out when they should be coming through the business planning process, Madam Chair? That's the first question I have.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, this was one of the areas, that category, all departments had put in for new initiatives during our original business planning process and with the fiscal information we had at the time, we directed all new initiatives be parked for the time being until we knew what our fiscal situation would be as a result of the federal budget, and this was one of the new initiatives within the Department of Executive. So they did try to initially come through the business plan process, but because of our fiscal situation we had parked all of the new initiatives until this time knowing what our fiscal position was now with the federal government budget passed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Ramsay.