Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate and take the Member’s point that we can always do better to improve our services and efficiencies. One of the things that’s been conducted by the Strategic Initiative Committee on Refocusing Government is to look at how to combine the services of Housing, Health and Social Services, and ECE in the way it’s structured so that at the regional level our communities are able to work together to better serve their communities and the citizens that we serve. Obviously, there’s always room for better coordination, and we will continue to make that effort.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In February 2008 I asked the Minister of Health and Social Services some questions about the palliative care drug approval process for extended health care benefits. In April I received a response from the Minister indicating that the department is taking steps to simplify the approval process for approving

coverage of palliative care drugs and that something would be in place by this summer. I was wondering if the Minister could please give me an update on that process to streamline the distribution of medication to palliative care patients.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Member’s question. Following up on the Member’s recommendation, we have implemented that. We have a process now where as long as the doctor says in the application for medication to Green Shield or whoever is administrating our health insurance that it’s palliative care, Green Shield has been processing the documents on a 24-hour turnaround basis. By all accounts, I understand that it’s working out really well. It was in practice almost within a month of the Member asking for this to be implemented.

That’s good to hear. I guess my second question is: has that information been shared with the pharmacists? I was talking to a couple of different pharmacists today who indicated that they are unaware of any changes and have seen no improvement in the process so far. It’s great that the process is in place, but has it been shared with pharmacists?

In discussions with the insurance office in Inuvik and the officials I am advised that it has been in effect for a long time. Since the Member talked to me about it last week, I have asked them to talk to the pharmacists to make sure that it’s working well for them. But we have not heard any of the problems in that regard.

I would like to get the Minister to commit to actually providing the Members on this side of the House with a bit of a breakdown of how the process is intended to work. Also, I would like the Minister to commit to actually, like I indicated, getting this information to the pharmacists, because the pharmacists I talked to today don’t know anything about the changes in the process.

Mr. Speaker. Once again my information is that the doctors have been writing on the form that they fill out to get medication and palliative care pharmaceuticals that the doctor prescribes to patients…. They have been notified to put palliative care on the application. Green Shield knows about it, and it’s been running very smoothly. Maybe the pharmacist dispensed the drugs and was not aware of it, so I will make sure that the pharmacists are made aware of that. If a Member knows of any difficulties that any patient in palliative care is experiencing, I would like to know about that too. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Time for question period has expired. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure reviewed Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Workers’ Compensation Act. The bill proposes to amend the Workers’ Compensation Act to permit the Minister to appoint the chairperson of the governance council to a term not exceeding three years. It also proposes to permit the Minister to reappoint that person as long as the reappointment does not result in a period of consecutive service exceeding six years. The committee wishes to recommend that this bill not be proceeded with.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 14, tabling of documents. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled Canada/Northwest Territories Agriculture Policy Framework Agreement — Small Scale Foods Program and Small Scale Foods/Community Garden Initiative.

Document 99-16(2), Small Scale

Foods/Community Garden Initiative, tabled.

Document 100-16(2), Canada/NWT Agriculture

Policy Framework Agreement — Small Scale Foods Program, tabled.

I wish to table the following document entitled Northwest Territories Coroner’s Service 2007 Annual Report.

Document 101-16(2), Northwest Territories

Coroner’s Service 2007 Annual Report, tabled.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, Minister’s Statement 80-16(2) and Tabled Document 93-16(2), with Mr. Bromley in the chair.

Okay; I would like to call the Committee of the Whole to order. We have two documents before us for consideration: Minister’s Statement 80-16(2), Sessional Statement, and Tabled Document 93-16(2), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2009–2010. What is the wish of committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Today we would like to begin work on the Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2009–10 with the Minister’s opening comments, general comments and then as far into the departments, in order, as we can get within our time limit.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Does the committee agree?

Thank you. We will proceed to general comments. I understand we’re all ready for a break.

The Committee of the Whole took a short

recess.

I would like to call the committee back to order. We’re considering Tabled Document 93-16(2), NWT Capital Estimates 2009–2010.

Does the Minister have any opening remarks he’d like to make?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to present the Capital Estimates 2009–2010 of the Government of the Northwest Territories. These estimates outline

appropriations for infrastructure investments of $247.616 million in the 2009–2010 fiscal year.

In early 2008 a review was undertaken on the GNWT’s capital planning process. The review identified many challenges faced by the government in planning and delivering capital projects such as the limited resources and capacity to address existing needs, projects costing more than originally estimated; the heated western Canadian economy, which is impacting the cost of construction and attracting needed skilled trades and technical people; and limited competition on large building projects. These challenges have been highlighted through the significant carryovers that the GNWT has had to bring forward for approval by the Legislative Assembly over the last couple of years.

Mr. Chairman, the fact is that the GNWT is no longer the major player in the Northwest Territories’ construction market. Interest in large capital projects has shifted to the mining sector, which has reduced our influence in the construction market, and inflation has eaten away at our buying power.

The findings from the review were presented to standing committee in April, and recommendations were subsequently made to the Financial Management Board for improving how we plan for, acquire and deliver required capital infrastructure. This included looking at the timing of when capital estimates are approved, ensuring a more disciplined and strategic approach to capital planning, improving coordination of planning and delivery, and looking at innovative approaches for the acquiring and delivery of capital projects.

It was clear from these recommendations that the GNWT must take a more corporate approach to planning and delivering its capital infrastructure. The estimates before us today represent the start of this new approach.

One of the important recommendations from the review was to move the approval of the Capital Estimates to the fall session of the Legislative Assembly. This will allow for better planning for both the GNWT and contractors as it means the tendering process can begin sooner; contractors can fit projects into their schedule, encouraging more bidders and therefore obtain the greatest level of interest and competition possible before contractors have already filled out their order books for next summer’s construction season.

Major highlights in these estimates include:

•

$74.8 million for school replacements and

renovations

•

$59.3 million for highways and winter roads across the NWT

•

$28 million to continue to base fund municipal governments for community infrastructure

•

$19.2 million for infrastructure investments for buildings and workspace to help support the delivery of health and social services programming

•

$13.2 million for information technology

projects to replace aged information systems and improve how the government manages and secures health records.

Mr. Chairman, as Minister Bob McLeod stated earlier this session, the GNWT must take the lead and commit to reducing the Northwest Territories’ dependence on fossil fuels to meet our energy requirements. We look forward to hearing your thoughts regarding investments in some of the important energy initiatives that will help us achieve this goal during the business planning and 2009–10 Main Estimates process.

Mr. Chairman, I am now prepared to review the details of the Capital Estimates 2009–2010 document.