Thank you very much, Madam Chair. This whole budgeting cycle, committee on this side worked really hard with Cabinet to institute some funding. We made our impact on the budget. Often this side, when we get some wins, like in particular this time we got I think here in Health and Social Services overall I think we got, that was not previously authorized, $1.267 million and it was hoped that we’d have a nice, good dialogue about how to allocate these resources. I think the feeling on this side is that government, in its infinite wisdom, is saying okay, there’s extra money so we’re going to spend it.

Well, that’s not how we see it, Madam Chair. When they say “we,” it’s different than our “we.” We as an Assembly, whereas we as Cabinet sometimes they get unfocused like that. So we’re a little bit upset on this side, Madam Chair, but I can say that the Member is upset enough that we can consider a motion to delete this particular line item of $300,000.

I can say that it’s not a line item; I was mistaken. The appropriation process speaks overall to $1.267 million, but I think it’s in the details where government is proposing an expenditure of $300,000’ for a Minister’s Forum on Addictions, and that’s something we certainly disagree with strongly because we never had our input.

The feeling is that we got the money as an Assembly, we didn’t get money for Cabinet. So it’s not up to them to be starting their own priorities. I think the priorities should be us and the Assembly, and working with committee as well.

So I’d like to ask the Minister of Finance or the Minister of Health to challenge us not to approve it if we didn’t like it, and we’re certainly prepared to do that, Madam Chair.