One of the issues for long-term treatment where individuals may be taking various phases is that they're away from the NWT for long periods of time. I wonder if the Minister could tell me how individuals are covered insofar as medical or dental go while they're in treatment?

Residents of the Northwest Territories are Canadian citizens, so if they're travelling south to a treatment facility they are still able to get medical services in the jurisdiction of the province that they are receiving their services. We have reciprocal billing agreements with all the provinces and territories, so if our resident goes and receives health services there, we have a billing mechanism.

Not all residents of the Northwest Territories receive dental services from the Government of the Northwest Territories. We do have some extended health benefits for seniors and Metis that cover some range of dental services, and Indigenous residents are covered by NIHB for dental services. So the resident would have to utilize the dental services in the province that they're attending and they would have to seek billing through their insurance provider, and that could be your extended health benefits.

Individuals who go to treatment often are going because of obvious issues. Many of them have no employment at the time they leave to finally go down to get treatment. I'm wondering if the Minister could tell me if there are any additional supports available for individuals in treatment; and by additional supports I mean things like individuals who are trying to get off heavy drugs and alcohol who smoke but don't have cigarettes and have no support to purchase cigarettes, or don't have any money to buy toiletries, and so on. I was wondering if the Minister could tell me if there is any of that type of support available from our government?

The contracts that we have with the southern facilities basically cover treatment costs as well as we cover travel costs to get our residents to and from these facilities, and we also have per diem costs that cover things like the food they eat and provide with them a warm, safe place to sleep, but as far as incidentals, the ability or the cash to buy cigarettes or other things, we don't provide that support to residents who are travelling south. They would either have to have other means, family supports, or, if they are eligible for or are on income support, they have a mechanism to seek some money through that avenue. They would have to talk to their income support officer to see what they are eligible for, and it is different depending on which community they're coming from, the amount that they might be able to receive, but they could use that as an avenue.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know it's very uncomfortable to ask the government to buy someone cigarettes, but there are reasons for me asking. I wonder if the Minister could commit to, not cigarettes, but commit to allowing some allowance for individuals to get at least basic toiletries, toothpaste and things like that, for individuals who are completely indigent and have no supports left in the Northwest Territories that they could draw upon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm glad the honourable Member took cigarettes off the list. When it comes to things like toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, this is certainly something that I'm willing to look at and see how we might be able to roll those in to ensure that residents who don't have access to those materials or those products can gain access while they're in the treatment facilities. So I'll certainly commit to looking at that, Mr. Speaker, but once again, not cigarettes.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho

Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is more than willing to support any community that is looking at accessing any of our programs, so if the MLA would want, we would be willing to send a regional representative in to help them actually fill in the application. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'd like to thank the Minister for her commitment in terms of offering this staff member from another community to work with these local budding leaders. Apart from that, what other youth programs might stakeholders explore to access funds or other support for their youth centre vision?

Again, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has a variety of programs there, too, with the goal of supporting youth because we recognize that providing supports to youth is important for not only physical activity but also for mental wellness. So we have other initiatives such as the Children and Youth Resiliency Program that can provide supports, too. I am just speaking from what we have as a department, but I can commit to actually having the department work further with the Member if he would like to see if there are other external sources of support to support a youth centre in his community.

Basically, these are questions that these students have followed up, so I am kind of expressing on their behalf. It may sound naïve, but they have to be asked. Residents might be confused by some programs sticking with MACA while we have a separate role for the Minister Responsible for Youth. How will the Minister work with the Minister Responsible for Youth to coordinate services for questions and proposals like this, and make sure Northerners' efforts and dollars and invested efficiently?

The departments right across of the Government of the Northwest Territories make a serious effort to work together. We have a Deputy Ministers Committee that our deputy ministers sit on. The deputy minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, as well as the deputy minister of the Youth, and Education, Culture and Employment. As Ministers, we also have a social committee that we all sit on that both Ministers take part in, and we have actually met with the Minister of Youth to update him on our programs. As any programs change, we will let the Youth Minister know.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question is directed mostly to the Minister, and an opportunity for her to express, perhaps, in her wise wisdom in terms of any advice that she can offer these students to move the concept of a youth centre into reality. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Member for calling me wise and having wisdom. Sometimes, I wonder, as I age.

Other resources that are available to youth is not an answer I can give at this point. It would take some thought, but I will commit to actually sitting with the Member if he wishes and actually looking at other ways that the community can see this vision actualize.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. My Member's statement there, I said there are no measurable targets or goals in the NWT Agricultural Strategy or the action plan. Can the Minister explain why there are no measurable targets in the strategy and plan? I'll give a couple of examples; an increase in agricultural production by 50 per cent in five years, or completion of food security plans for all communities within five years. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The broad overall objectives, the one thing we've got to remember: this is our very first agricultural strategy in the Northwest Territories. What we are trying to do with this strategy, what other people have done in 20 years, we are trying to do it in 10 years. It was part of the mandate to try to grow the agriculture sector. We see it as an economic development agenda. We have heard that in community engagements, along with all these other things that are implemented within the strategy. This is a blueprint of what the communities, the growers, the farm people in the Northwest Territories have said they want, that outlines actions that must be taken, and investments that we must make into the strategy moving forward, and over time, we hope to implement the strategy that will advance these commitments that we have made in cost of living, fostering healthy families, and enhancing capacity, youth programs for youth, so these are many things that we put forward along with all the residents in the NWT that have participated in it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Minister for those aspirational statements, but I guess I'm looking for something measurable. I will give him another chance here. There are no cost estimates for any of the activities identified in the action plan attached to the strategy and, of course, there are no new funds identified in the 2017-18 budget for implementation of the strategy. Can the Minister tell us whether we have to wait another year to find the money and start some of these activities?

As I said, this is a high-level strategy designed to encourage the sector to grow and move forward. There are costs to some of these action items that we see in the strategy. The department is presently working on them and calculating what those are going to cost moving forward. At present, we work with the federal government and the Growing Forward partnership with $1.2 million annually. We are trying to increase that. When we were down with our engagement with the federal government, I had a chance to meet with the Minister of Agriculture, and discuss this initiative moving forward, and I have also invited him to the Northwest Territories to have a look at our agriculture going forward. I talked to him about Gameti, the NFTI farm and initiatives like that, so we are hoping to be able to leverage some federal dollars moving forward. The GNWT has an agricultural working group within the departments, and we will help try to figure out how we can leverage dollars from all the departments to make this work.