That definitely is part of the plan within Education, Culture and Employment. We need to have short-term and long-term plans as well. Just identifying some of the key areas in the Member’s riding, we’re happy to share that information on the 18 journeypersons in Fort Res mostly in the heavy equipment operators, three journeypersons in Lutselk'e, carpentry, heavy-duty mechanic and housing maintenance, and also two registered apprentices in Fort Res. Those are just, I think, a start for us and we need to identify those key areas working with the departments and also the corporation, the band council at the community level and also the community government. We need to identify what is required at the community level and we are more than willing to work with the communities in developing those key areas as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services and focused on the Centre for Northern Families which has obviously, according to the news, found itself in a fairly desperate financial situation. Mr. Speaker, the Centre for Northern Families obviously plays a big role in our city here and in society in general across the Territories in helping women who find themselves in dire situations, women and their children. I am wondering, Mr. Speaker, beyond the stabilization supports and modest funds that are provided to NGOs delivering critical services, what progress has the Minister made in helping to get the centre squarely back on their feet. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member knows, the Department of Health has been working with Education, Culture and Employment to review the situation and come up with the options. I do not have the most recent information. I have asked the staff to look into that and I will get back to the Member. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I am certainly aware that the department has been working with them, but this work hasn’t resulted in any progress. That is a huge disappointment. I have a specific question.

The Minister committed to providing a secondment from GNWT some years ago now, I believe, to actually assist this important NGO to get back on their feet. Has this been done? If not, when will it be done? Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, that was one of the options that I was discussing with Education, Culture and Employment. It should be noted here that ECE and Health are a joint funder and supporter of this program. I know that the staff had been working with the organization. I will update the Member. I have asked for the information, I just don’t have it in front of me. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister’s commitment there. I look forward to that information, but I can say that it hasn’t been done yet. That is again a huge frustration and so much for interdepartmental efficiencies that supposedly have been worked on. I am wondering, Mr. Speaker, given that, again, the role this NGO plays is critical and we continue to have people go missing when they are released from the hospital, the Centre for Northern Families ends up being the last stop of last resort. It is really critical to get this result. This has been going on for years now. Will the Minister commit to getting that resolved before the end of this term? Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, we do have an agreement here that that organization has an important function to deliver and it is an important part of the spectrum of services that we provide for the homeless and those who need our support in the community, not just for Yellowknife but for many people that come to Yellowknife. But the Member is also aware that we have had long-term structural issues with the financial situation of that organization. We have been working, the department and ECE. I just do not have the most recent update, but I will commit, once again, to follow up on that and see what our options are. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I talked a bit about family violence and particularly violence against women and girls in my statement. I would like to follow up with some questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services about the Family Violence Action Plan. The first phase of the Family Violence Action Plan is done. We are now into phase two. I would like to ask the Minister some questions on the progress of this plan. One of the goals and a component of a goal is to increase funding to two shelters with their own buildings to compensate for O and M costs that are not experienced by other shelters. The deadline for that or the timeline on that was October 2008. I would like to ask the Minister whether or not that evaluation has been done and, as a result, whether the increased funding has actually occurred. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In fact, it was. The increase in funding did happen. The increase was as a result of the recommendation from the action plan. The increase was provided under the Shelter Stabilization Enhancement Funds.

I have sat with the operators of shelters in Hay River and other communities. They have thanked us and the government for enhancing the funding. It was also part of the action plan that recognized that there are only five shelters in the Territories and that there are a lot of communities where we needed to support families and victims of family violence and it was for that reason that in 2010-11 five non-shelter region projects were funded, one in Fort Providence and then Fort Liard, Fort Simpson, Norman Wells and Behchoko. The program included prevention and outreach educational workshops, the implementation of community-based awareness campaigns and the hiring of a community services coordinator to assist victims. Mr. Speaker, yes, we are moving under that plan. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister for that summary. I appreciate that the department is providing funds and that they are doing what they can to develop shelter services in other communities beyond where they actually have bricks and mortar. It is something that we absolutely have to do. If it is a priority for this department to make sure that shelters are running and are actually operational, I have to go to Mr. Bromley’s comments about the Centre for Northern

Families. This centre is struggling. If it is a priority for this government to provide shelters and make sure they work, why is it the Minister can’t seem to get the Centre for Northern Families on a stable financial footing? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that we are talking about... While lots of clients of the Centre for Northern Families, have to do with victims of family violence, the Centre for Northern Families is funded in a different way and they serve also different clientele.

I can assure the Member that, under the action plan, a number of things have been accomplished. We have conducted a territorial attitude survey on violence. A territorial family violence consultation was held under this action plan. We have also developed a training program called Supporting Northern Women, a Northwest Territories shelter worker training program which has been delivered in all shelters.

The existing family violence shelters outside of Yellowknife have been better funded and stabilized, and services have been enhanced in communities where there are no shelters. Protocol development has happened in Yellowknife and Sahtu. We have funded YWCA on Child Recovery Program for children who witness abuse. We also have developed a video on non-violence, a strength-based community inquiry, and a lot more work has been done to research and develop a program for men who use violence.

Also, I would like to advise the Member that evaluation of the first five years of the Protection Against Family Violence Act will be completed by March. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will try to be short. Maybe I should sit down. No.

I would like to thank the Minister for that summary of all the wonderful things that we are doing, but it did not go to my question. If it is a priority for this government to make sure that shelters are funded, then why is the Minister not making sure that the Centre for Northern Families is financially sustainable? They are funded differently and that is the problem.

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, the Centre for Northern Families has a unique challenge that the Department of ECE and I have been working on. We are committed to working with the organization and to support the organization to the extent possible. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question has to do with a part of the action plan

which talks about a community consultation in Inuvik to develop a strategy for the implementation of changes that are required, and the timeline on that was February 2009. Can I ask if that is done?

I am aware that a lot of work has been done and is being done on that, so I will follow up to be able to confirm that to her, seeing as it’s going back to 2009.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.