Pardon? Sorry. I’d like to see a little bit of movement on this, if not in 2009-2010 then in 2010-2011. If nothing else, pilot it in a community to see if it works, to see if we’re improving the health of children in these communities. We need to try. We need to do something. If you don’t want to implement fully, I would like to see it maybe piloted in a couple of communities to see if there is any impact in that area.

I believe it’s in this fiscal year and started last fiscal year, but we know that some of the money that we’re getting from the feds will be sunsetting. The Territorial Health Act and whatnot will be sunsetting at some point. We’re using those dollars for very important things within the health system and I’d like to hear from the department as to whether they’re working with the federal health to find out if we’re going to have access to any of those dollars for future years in order to continue doing some of

the good things we’re doing with nurse practitioners and community health nurses and midwives, all the types of things that we’ve been supporting through there. If that money is gone, I’m worried that we’ll have to cut back on those services. I’d like to hear from the department whether they’re moving forward on trying to get any dollars out of those areas.

Another area -- and I know many others raised Members’ statements to ask questions about this last year -- is the money we’re getting from INAC. Or rather, the unresolved financial issues related to the INAC contribution agreements for aboriginal health services. I’ve heard all sorts of numbers. Millions of dollars, outstanding funds that INAC theoretically owes us. I don’t see much in the way of progress being made in this area.

In health care, as I’ve said before, I’m not super happy to see only 1 percent growth. I’d like to see at least the forced growth levels. If we’re cutting back and we have people who owe us money, I find that a little unfortunate. We should be out there trying to get every penny we can to support the provision of health and social services to the residents of our Territory. Health care is one of the most important services that we can provide and if we’re letting money slip us by, we’re not doing our jobs.

So you’re going to hear this one a lot. I’ll start. Board reform. I’m not 100 percent convinced that rolling health into regional boards where they’re part education and part housing is in the best interest of the people of the Northwest Territories by way of provision of health services. I’m obviously curious on how the Department of Health plans to move forward with the board reform group on rolling health into those areas. I’m concerned that a beast like health -- and it is a beast -- if it rolls into a combined board it might either overpower education and housing or they might lose themselves by way of more support going to education or housing. We need to be cautious that we don’t lose the quality services. And we are providing, yes, there are shortages, yes there are people out there who aren’t getting exactly the services that we say we can provide and want to provide, but I have to tell you, the nurses and the doctors and the allied health professionals we have in the Northwest Territories are some of the best in the world. They’re committed to doing the work. We need to make sure we have the mechanisms in there to support them as well. Every one of them deserves a pat on the back and if we’re rolling them into a joint board, I’m worried that we might lose some of our quality people and might actually do them a disservice by having money flow out of the department rather than into the department. I’m

concerned about board reform. We’ll be talking about that one more, I’m sure.

One other area I’m confused by, and I’d certainly like to hear from the Minister if she could help me understand this, we’ve gone out and pulled money out of the department in order to reinvest by way of the Strategic Investment Committee. However, to me, I always understood those things to be new initiatives; new things that we’re doing in different and exciting ways. New things. Whereas when I look at some of the reinvestments that are occurring in the Department of Health and Social Services, they look to me like things that should have been known, things that should have been understood. We know we’re building a dementia facility. How come the funding and staffing of the dementia facility comes out of the strategic initiative money? I think that should have been more forced growth or new programs, but certainly not out of the strategic investment funds. I would have expected that to be new things that we’re not doing. The same is true for the Hay River assisted living. That money is coming out of the reinvestment dollars, as is the ITE health system. To me those are things we knew were coming, we should have known they were coming, and they probably shouldn’t come out of the strategic initiative money.

The last thing I’d like to just talk about briefly is I’m really happy that you’re building the dementia facility here in Yellowknife. I think it’s great; it’s great for Yellowknife, it’s great for the people of the Northwest Territories. But in talking to my colleagues, it’s becoming increasingly clear that there are challenges in the smaller communities with respect to some of the seniors facilities out there. I was up in Aklavik, God, it might have been almost a year ago now, and we looked at the seniors facility in Aklavik and it looked a little rough, to be quite honest. I’m curious at what point we’re going to start getting on to those seniors facilities to help the elders in those communities. Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly happy about the dementia facility here in Yellowknife, but I’m wondering when we’re going to take the next step to start helping those people in the smaller communities. They deserve quality facilities as well.

So overall, I mean, I don’t mean to sound too awfully negative. I think there’s a lot of really good stuff in this budget. I think there are areas that we have to work. Health care is tough. I know that. We need to find the efficiencies within the system. I do like many of the new things you’re doing within the department, and overall I support the budget and I’m excited to get into the detail to talk about a few of those areas where I do have concerns.

Once again, thank you for moving on the supplementary health benefits. I think it’s great. I

look forward to working with you and I look forward to working with the department and all the stakeholders out there in trying to find a Supplementary Health Benefits Program that works for all the residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you very much for that.