Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yes, I guess I am a little bit skeptical of the benefits here, and I am not going to get the answers I am looking for here, so that is a heads-up to the Minister that I intend to pursue this as it rolls through. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Finance.

I thank the Member for the heads-up. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. All right, so 2019-2020 Supplementary Estimate No. 4, operations expenditures, Finance, Office of the Comptroller General, not previously authorized, $248,000. Does committee agree?

Finance, total department, not previously authorized, $248,000. Does committee agree?

Now for general comments on the Department of Health and Social Services. I open the floor to general comments. If there are no further comments, does committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document, starting on page 8?

Okay. 2019-2020 Supplementary Estimates No. 4, operations expenditures, Health and Social Services, administrative and support services, not previously authorized, $2,713,000. Does committee agree? Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am just looking at the first line, "To provide funding for costs associated with the new pharmacy information system at Stanton Territorial Hospital." I am wondering if this system speaks to other Northwest Territories hospitals' systems and works in conjunction with them or those found at community health centres? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. No, this is specific to Stanton Territorial Hospital, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So my understanding would be the pharmacy information system is a computer system that allows us to do, and, forgive me, I would probably need to ask you about this, not myself, but allows us to do prescriptions for patients and whatnot. So, if a hospital in Inuvik prescribed something to a patient, does this system in Stanton allow us to see what information or what medications a resident from Inuvik who has been medevac'd down is on or is taking? I am just wondering if those systems speak to one another, or is this something that is going to have to be upgraded in our other hospitals down the road. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister of Finance.

Madam Chair, I think perhaps I am going to attempt to answer the question. If not, I will turn it over to my colleague. There is an outdated system currently in Hay River and in Inuvik. The system that is being upgraded in Stanton does not speak to the systems in Hay River and in Inuvik. There is ongoing work to upgrade the other two systems, as well, but that is not part of the current supplementary appropriation that is before the House.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. When the Stanton Territorial Hospital was originally being budgeted, this was considered O and M funding, and it was therefore not part of that capital funding. Since then, I believe the contract for this was signed, if I am not mistaken, in June of 2019, and therefore it was a bit late in the process to be anywhere other than in a supplementary appropriation. There were no supplementary appropriations brought in the fall, as a result of the election, and so we find ourselves here, at this stage, in order to fund the switch-over in the pharmacy systems. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. I heard the Minister's explanation, but I still do not understand why it would not have been included in the budget for last year if they were just a couple of months away from signing a contract for this software. Thank you.