Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some thoughts in terms of going into the section of the business plan and programs, maybe highlighting my language at a later point in terms of just some of the key issues affecting my riding. For the most part, the Department of Health and Social Services is the biggest department, at $415 million.

The big thing that I have been aware of, and monitoring, is just the whole transformation initiative in terms of coming to one single authority. What do we keep? As my colleagues have outlined, there are generally some positive initiatives that are being led by this department. A few of them, maybe, I can mention are on-the-land programs. I know there have been efforts to try to expand upon it, but the concept behind that is to ensure that, not only in the urban setting or the community setting, that you can bring wellness and mental health initiatives for individuals, or for families for that matter, but you can actually bring them out into the environment of nature. That is the strength of First Nations people, being out on the land. To try to at least be out there relative to nature, to try to derive some strength, whether it is spiritual or physical, but at the same time emotional, and also the mental capacity, ensuring that you feel at peace out there and that those things that you can build upon as strength. For me, that is a positive. I look forward to more advances in that area.

Of course, I can't help but feel concerned in terms of the things that directly affect my constituents that periodically I hear of. The culturally appropriate care in terms of one example is translation, having that available, especially for elders when they go into the health centres. There are issues in terms of medical escorts. There are concerns in terms of Child and Family Services in terms of how the changes that came about from the Auditor General's Report and how it's being tackled in terms of bringing some very substantive changes in terms of some of the systemic problems that we've come across, and I look forward to the ongoing initiatives in terms of trying to complete that whole exercise.

For the most part, in terms of the transformation changes in terms of moving to a single authority, just recently I was in my home community of Fort Providence and I was made aware that the first, more likely inaugural meeting of the Dehcho Regional Wellness Council was being held in Fort Providence. So I had an opportunity to be there and witness the members of the communities have their first meeting and it was interesting. I look forward to their renewed vigour to ensure that communities do have input in the effectiveness of the healthcare system in the NWT and particularly for the Deh Cho riding.

The question that I asked in the House was, how is it that's going to change in terms of, whereas before we had health boards, now we have regional wellness councils. How is that going to play a part in terms of protocols? Do I, as an MLA, work along with the regional councils, or is it another conduit in terms of addressing the community, concerns of constituents? I was trying to figure that out, and it's ongoing.

At the same time, there are some concerns in terms of the involvement of -- you know, we have within my riding, Hay River Health Authority and, of course, the Dehcho Regional Wellness Council, and we have two administrative bodies. It could be good, it could be advantageous, because we have a brand new hospital in Hay River and at the same time another one coming up in Yellowknife, and, of course, access to Fort Simpson. So there's always, in terms how do we fit in as a community, questions like that. Sometimes leaders ponder: how do we fit in in terms of ensuring that our concerns are being addressed? I understand there might be some growing issues in terms of whether it's the Hay River Health Authority that could address matters from the Hay River Reserve or is it maybe through the Dehcho Regional Wellness Council. So questions like that will probably come up once in a while.

The other matter is just in terms of ensuring that when we do have health centres. In Fort Providence we have, of course, with the communities of Kakisa, being on the road system. There's Fort Simpson, too, as well. Kakisa and Enterprise, we don't have any building or structure to house nurses or visiting doctors. So when people need to go see a health practitioner or a doctor they have to travel either to Fort Providence or Hay River. So there's always the desire for those communities to try and get more access to the programs and services of the department, particularly for healthcare, so I just wanted to mention that.

There have been some advances in terms of the Hay River Reserve. Recently it was noted that we did establish the Judith Fabian Wellness Centre there, and just recently there was an effort to try to bring health services to the people on the reserve. So I think that's been a good gesture, a good step forward, and I'd like the department to try to build on that; of having more healthcare services for people on the reserve.

In terms of some of the other matters that I wanted to highlight, too, is there are ongoing matters in terms of the treaty rights and the federal government in terms of how it is that they're involved with the delivery of healthcare in the NWT. More so for the reserves in terms of how it is that there's an obligation that needs to be upheld by the GNWT plus the federal government in terms of their involvement in bringing more programs and services to the reserve. I think that needs to be highlighted. That's a matter that has been brought to my attention by the local leadership of the K'atlodeeche First Nations.

At the same time my belief is that I think more could be done in terms of wellness and healing, especially in the communities, and that perhaps it could be this department that is the lead agency in terms of engaging the federal government in terms of bringing more resources so that there's adequate counselling services for individuals, for families that need help, who want to lead a better life in their communities and a better future for the well-being of, not only our communities but for the whole entire North. My belief is that this department could perhaps maybe be the lead agency in terms of bringing some discussions at that level.

The other matter that I wanted to just maybe raise in terms of reminding this department is that we still have a treatment centre on the Hay River Reserve and the fate of that treatment centre on the reserve hasn't been decided upon. I know there's been some dialogue between the GNWT through this department and the K'atlodeeche First Nation, and I don't know where that's at. There's still an interest to see how it is that facility could be used.

A point was made that most alcohol and drug treatment centres that exist in most provinces are run by First Nations people. The point is that, unfortunately, the statistics is that what plagues our communities is alcohol and drugs, and unfortunately, statistically speaking it is First Nations that have issues and challenges with this. So the point was made, well, perhaps it should be our First Nations people that provide those counselling services because they have an understanding of the culture and the issues and maybe they can provide that expertise of trying to share their experiences in terms of trying to be successful in terms of managing that problem.

I just wanted to highlight maybe just in my language, too, in terms of the need for homecare services. It can be said, you know, as an example in Fort Providence we have an aging senior population. Generally in the NWT that's what we're facing and there's a need for homecare services and we've been trying to build upon that, and I can't emphasize more that we're expecting a burgeoning population 10 years, 15 years down the road. Not only should we look at senior care facilities, but expanding upon the homecare services in terms of bringing services into the communities. Elders who make a conscious choice to stay at home for as long as they can, and sometimes they're not mobile and those services have to be brought to their home. Mahsi, Mr. Chair.