Thank you, Mr. Chair. My second follow-up question has to do with the lapse of the $600,000 in homecare. What steps is the Minister going to take to prevent lapsing of homecare money in the future? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Given the positions we've put in place and the programs we've put in place, we can fully spend the dollars that are in front of us. We did lapse some money in the previous year, that were the result of that $2.5 million that was allocated to us. We anticipated lapsing some money again this year, as we continue to do our work around the family and community caregivers, and other programs that we are testing and modelling at this point. There is a chance, once we've done that testing, that we'll have to come back for future consideration, future asks, but at this point in time, for 2019-2020, based on the programs that we currently have in place, we figure we'd be lapsing about $600,000. Rather than lapsing it, we wanted to use it for something where we knew there was a real demand, and that's Child and Family Services. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It was my understanding from the Minister's remarks during question period a few days ago that what drove this lapse was not being able to fill all of the positions. If that statement holds, then why is he confident there won't be any lapsing in the future? What would have changed to prevent lapsed funds in the future? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. If the Member were to go back and review Hansard, she would notice that the first indication was, in the first year we got those dollars, we lapsed over $900,000. That was mostly because of the fact that we had to create positions, get positions evaluated, get positions established, and then go out and recruit and attempt to fill those positions. That work does take a bit of time, and, as a result, we did not fill the positions on day one of the fiscal year, and we ended up lapsing $900,000. By the second fiscal year, we had all of the positions established. We had all of the positions created. We had a significant number of the positions filled, and we were still in the $570,000 to $600,000 in lapsing. We are still in that position; that is why we feel that we will be lapsing about $600,000.

Having said that, we are doing the review of home and community care to help us figure out what best numbers are for these services in the future and what best types of positions are. We have also taken advantage of some federal funds and made some good investments in other areas, such as wheelchair accessible vans, negative-pressure wound therapy, Doppler assessment for peripheral arterial disease, and we have been able to use some federal money to roll those out in the Northwest Territories.

We have been making some progress in these areas. There is still work to be done. I accept that, but we feel that, given where we are today, that $600,000 would be lapsed for 2019-2020. Once again, given the significant demands that we are experiencing with Child and Family Services and the $3.2 million that we are increasing in that area, we felt that we needed to be able to put some of our dollars in to make that a reality, so that we can meet the needs of children and families in this territory. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The part that I am finding is confusing is that the number of seniors in the territory is increasing significantly year over year, and the demand for homecare is increasing as that group ages. The part that I am not understanding is why it is not possible to spend all of the money allocated to homecare in a given year. The question is: why is it so hard to spend this money? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. In 2017-2018, we got a $2.5 million ongoing investment into homecare that we weren't anticipating when we did our initial work in preparation for that budget. We had to stand up a significant amount of services, the creation of 14 positions and other things, to make that a reality.

As the Member knows, and I think all of the Members know, we want to spend money for a maximum benefit. We want to make sure that the things that we are designing make sense and have ongoing and long-term benefits. I get that the number of seniors is increasing in this territory, but in order to ensure that we are spending money wisely, we have to make sure that there is a solid business case, a plan.

I am sure that, if Members really wanted, we could throw money at issues for one-time things, but we would get no real benefit for it in the long-term. We want to make sure that our dollar investments have long-term benefits that are based on sound evidence as opposed to opinion. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Abernethy.

Not at this time, Mr. Chair. We need to get that report in. We need to have that report analyzed. We need to make sure that our design is getting maximum benefit for the dollars that we do have.

If it turns out that the report suggests that we need to make significant new investments in this area, recognizing that this is the Non-Insured Health Benefits and not covered in most jurisdictions, then we are prepared to begin that work to build the business case that it is necessary to approach FMBS and seek additional funds in the future. There is still a lot of work before we will be ready to do that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to hear, if there are funds required for homecare, that this work would be expedited, and we would see a supplementary appropriation for these funds. What my constituents indicate to me is that they need more help than they are getting. I want to make sure that their needs are met with money that is allocated to them, not only through the federal government, but money that may need to be allocated through the territorial government as well. Can the Minister assure me that those needs will be met in the next fiscal year, once they have been identified? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We do need to wait for the report to come in. That will help us articulate where our pressures are and where we need to strengthen our investments. That would certainly include ensuring that we are spending our money the right way today, which might mean changes of positions, re: description of positions, and doing those types of things.

If it does require money, we have an obligation to build a business case, as every department does, that is evidence-based and makes sense. We are prepared to do that work, but we can't guarantee, obviously, that it would make it as far as an investment in the life of this government. We will certainly make sure that FMB is informed and understands the challenges that we are under.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Next, we have Mr. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On page 177, it talks about the Anti-Poverty Fund and day shelter there. Can the Minister give us a breakdown on the Anti-Poverty Fund, how much is in that pot of money, and not just combined with the day shelter? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, $1 million of that is actually for the Anti-Poverty Fund, which is an application-based program. $150,000 is for day shelters: $75,000 goes to Inuvik; $75,000 goes to Yellowknife.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Mr. Thompson.