Thank you, Minister. Deputy minister.

Thank you, deputy minister. Member for Twin Lakes.

Thank you. I'm going to go into the expenditure category, grants and contributions. The big part of our budget here we've spent is on that grants, contributions, and transfers. Where is that going? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The increase in the 2020-2021 budget of 13.4 is due to the increased wages for positions as per the negotiated collective agreement between the GNWT and the UNW, which is about $2.6 million, the increased wages with the health and social services authority and the Union of Northern Workers. It's also a reflection of inflation on supplies. It's also an increase to reflect costs associated with the contract negotiated with the NWT medical association for physicians. The additional funding is also to operate the new Stanton hospital and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, the additional funding for Health Canada funding on mental health and addictions, the bilateral funding. Those are some of the reasons of the increase on the grants and contributions. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Just to clarify, those items that you just labelled, those are what we are spending those grants and contributions, that total $243 million on? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister.

Madam Chair, I can get Ms. Mathison to answer.

Thank you, Minister. Ms. Mathison.

Thank you, Ms. Mathison. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just under Purchased Services, from the last year's budget, it's gone up from $486,000 to $1.2 million. Can the Minister just explain what is the big jump in the increase there?

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The increase in the budget is $715,000, and it's for the Northern Wellness Agreement, which is funded by ISC, Indigenous Services Canada. This agreement was recently negotiated for another five-year term. In prior years, the budget used to show up in work performed on behalf of others. As part of the new accounting treatment for shared service agreements, now it's included in the overall main budget.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just going through some of these numbers and some of my colleagues have already mentioned, knowing that we know we have a shortfall of nursing staff, that we are trying to increase staff, and I know that there is a separate budget that is going to be per our priorities, given with COVID, looking at these numbers, do we expect that this is going to increase in our budget here that we are presenting today as another additional supplemental with everything that is been carrying through COVID right now? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, what we are doing now within our financial system is: we are trying to utilize a lot of our expenditures towards the COVID budget. That would alleviate some of our overall budget. Although I want to say "no," but I believe, as a result of the budget, it perhaps could increase. It would come in the form of a supplemental. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Further questions, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

One final question: under specialty services, it hasn't gone up very much, but, when I look under the category for specialty services, my colleague says we have wait lists, we have extensive wait lists in certain areas. Without increasing this budget and without increasing the specialist numbers that we are going to have and the hard time getting these specialists, do we feel that, this budget that we have here, is this number going to increase because it costs us so much more to get extra stuff? Are we going to be able to meet the needs of our wait list with this budget this year? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister.

Madam Chair, I am going to ask Deputy Minister Cooper to answer.