Agreed, thank you. Page 5, Health and Social Services, operations expenditures, community health programs, not previously authorized, $1.267 million. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. My first question on the Healthy Families program, I see a healthy amount is budgeted for an expansion of the Healthy Families program. I believe late in the 16th Assembly, the commitment was made to

expand the Healthy Families program every year and I assume that that was on the schedule to be

expanded again this year. I’m happy to see that, but I’m wondering why we’re pulling this from new dollars when I think that was a plan to do it within the budget and these new dollars were to actually expand what was intended in the budget.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Aumond.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I assume by sunsetted Mr. Aumond means the department decided not to spend that money this year, that was GNWT dollars. Is that correct? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Miltenberger.

Sunsetted, there was a date tied to the money after which the money in that program would lapse and that’s what happened in this case. So as Mr. Aumond indicated, new money was put in as a result of the discussions in this House. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess my point is that it seems very inefficient to decide on priorities and start programs and expenditures and then drop them so that the next budget review you have to have the hassle of a battle to get dollars reinstated there, and they’re termed new dollars instead of existing dollars simply because they decided to drop it. So I guess I’m questioning the process here and suggesting it’s not helpful.

Thank you. Similar to the Heritage Fund contribution, this money will be going into the base and there’s no time bar, date attached to this. So it’s going to be an ongoing funding.

I’ll point out, as well, that we’re now moving into, as we conclude this session, full bore into the business planning session cycle for 2013-14 and we’ll be in a position to have the long and fulsome discussions that haven’t been available this time because we were playing catch-up with the start of a new government and we won’t have the compressed time frames. So business plan will be before committee. The capital plan will go to the committees at the end of this month and in the fall we’ll have the business plans discussions. We’ll be starting with committee to hopefully be concluded over the months leading up to February 2013. Thank you.

Thanks for the comments from the Minister. I am glad to hear that it’s part of the A base now. I assume that means that the Cabinet cannot sort of whimsically sunset it and it will be there for future years. So I appreciate that.

On the Cancer Strategy, the department is working with the Canadian Partnership, and again, it seems like this is an ongoing program and yet the same phenomenon. We assume that with ongoing programs we continue our participation and the new dollars are meant to enhance programs or new programs. Could the Minister tell me what the situation is in this case? Thank you.

This funding as well is ongoing.

Thank you. What was their funding for this program in the past?

Thank you. I don’t have that level of detail here, so I’ll commit to get that for the Member.

We don’t know if this is some fancy footwork or whether these are actually new dollars or simply old programs being re-profiled as new dollars. That’s the concern. I would appreciate that additional information that would address that concern from the Minister.

On the early childhood intervention amount, I note that we are collaborating with the Health and Economic Research Institute. Quick work to arrange that in just a few days. I appreciate that. During the 16th Assembly, Social Programs did do

extensive work on the Child and Family Services Act, and in fact had three national experts working with us on the report and recommendations. Is this work following up on that, essentially taking us to the next step based on those recommendations?

I’ll defer to the Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The $75,000 is to fund research into the best practices of early childhood interventions, specifically in collaboration with the Health and Economic Research Institute, to develop a best return on investment for Early Childhood Development Strategy.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Bromley.

I guess my question still stands there. I’m trying to figure out if we’re trying to reinvent the wheel or building on the costly work we’ve already done.

Trying to reinvent the wheel. No. I think this is some ongoing work and so this was part of what we’re trying to expand.

Overall, all of these items were to expand the prevention and promotion that was deemed to be cut on some of the items that were sunset or transferred to another department. We’re trying to respond to committee’s request on some of these issues and this was a part of it. I don’t see this in the mains for this year and I don’t have the information from the mains for the previous year. I’m not sure if this is something that was ongoing, but I think this would be something that was new that we’re moving into.

Thanks for the Minister’s remarks there. I guess my last question is on the Minister’s forum of addictions. I’m a little bit surprised at the budget there. I know committee travelled extensively for the Wildlife Act and certainly didn’t run up a bill like that. I’m wondering if there’s an explanation for that cost.

The majority is definitely travel. We think that this is an item that is worthy of doing. We have, as part of the Minister’s forum, the department’s Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan. It’s an element within that plan. What we’re trying to do is get in to have at least all of the members of this forum to go into at least half of the communities across the territory to make sure that we are trying to spend some money on prevention, so that we spend the money in the right places so that in the future we’re deferring or we will avoid health costs. We’re saying this is an upfront investment that will pay dividends in the future. We think this is what it’s going to cost us. If it costs less, then we won’t use all the money, but at this time this is what we felt would be the appropriate amount for this kind of work.