This is page numbers 5641 - 5694 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was know.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to ask some questions about the deficit, which I think could be asked here considering this is where all the finance people go or probably on the overall summary. But can someone just tell me what we project the health authority deficit to be for the current fiscal year we're sitting in and what we then expect that to bring the total cumulative deficit to? Thank you.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you. For the last fiscal year, the deficit was $33.7 million for a total of $189.7 million. So we don't have a firm figure for this year. But given the pattern of the last few years, I'm anticipating it'll be in the same ballpark.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. So I think it's safe to say we're going to surpass the $200 million mark on our health system deficit.

You know, I get part of that is, you know, being dealt with through -- or looking for efficiencies and part of that is that we just need some more funding for health in general. Can the Minister speak to the extent the budget we're dealing with for the next fiscal, whether we anticipate that's going to curb the deficit at all? You know, clearly, we're still going to run one but perhaps at least it could plateau instead of increasing every year. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. We have a sustainability -- health system sustainability office that is working with a health sustainability plan. There are three major work streams to the plan, internal controls and cost containment, operational review and quality improvement, and funding and service levels. So this work has been ongoing for a couple of years. I think the end goal is to ensure that the deficit doesn't grow or grows more slowly so that we can contain those costs. There have been a lot of different initiatives within this area. And for more detail, I'll ask the chair if the deputy minister could provide that detail.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Deputy minister.

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Cecchetto

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think ultimately the Minister has answered the question. I don't think I have anything more to add to that.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Member for Yellowknife North.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm not sure where exactly, or if, in this budget that the new federal money that we've got under the territorial health transfer shows up. But can someone just -- I remember the Minister saying, you know, it's not as -- well, the Minister and every single premier across the country is saying there's not as much as we'd hoped. Can the Minister just confirm whether that money is in this current budget and perhaps one more explanation of exactly how much money we got from the federal government. There was some confusion they were trying to, you know, say there was some existing funding we knew we already had wrapped into the announcement. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the new health funding is not in this budget. What the government has proposed is $11.9 million in new funding and that comprises $2 million one-time only increase to the CHT, which is to pay for surgeries and backlogs; $7 million in tailored bilateral agreements in four priority areas; and $2.9 million in incremental funding for the territorial health investment fund. There's been no amount yet identified for personal support workers' wages. But that is also one of the commitments that Canada made. So the detail on the spending and how it's going to be allocated will be developed through action plans that match the indicators that we're able to provide and Canada has requested. So there's still some work to be done before we can say definitively how the tailored bilaterals are going to be sorted out. Thank you.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, you know, I think it's safe to say that, you know, $11.9 million of additional money is good but when you have an over $200 million deficit, you know, it's real long way to go.

I was hoping I could just get a brief summary of what the main drivers of the deficit are. I know a number of years ago there was a report; I think it was overtime was a big one. I believe reliance on locums was another one. Out-of-territory services. But perhaps if someone can educate me as to what the main drivers are and if you have, you know, kind of how much of a percentage those drivers contribute to the additional unbudgeted spending each year. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the deficit for the last fiscal year is $33.7 million. It was driven by the following factors:

  • Compensation and benefits, including overtime. Staff relocation and removal and call backs;
  • Secondly, physician services;
  • Thirdly, chemotherapy drugs;
  • Fourthly, foster care and voluntary service supports; and.
  • Fifth, health services that were transferred to the correctional facilities during that year.

We don't have that broken down by percentage. Thank you.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.

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Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Yeah, thank you. Just could we get a commitment to have that broken down by percentage, or if someone could even just point me to where I could find that. I've seen that list before, but I haven't quite -- I know there's a lot of work going on in the renewal and the efficiency side. But I think kind of getting a sense -- if I had to wager a guess, overtime is by far the biggest and everything else is kind of trailing behind that. But I'd like to know that for a fact, Madam Chair. So if someone could point me to where we could find that or provide it at a later date to committee. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you. I think that the best idea is to have the Member look in the annual report which, for NTHSSA, was tabled last fall, and there would be a breakdown in there. And if he requires additional information, please go ahead and ask me again. Thank you.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Health and social services, administrative and support services. Questions? Member for Kam Lake.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm wondering if this is the area where Stanton Legacy would be found.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Can you clarify that -- is that -- Minister.

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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you. There's a segment of our budget called long-term and continuing care services that will be discussed later on that will include Stanton Legacy information.