David Krutko

On page 8-30 of the budget under child services, intervention services, $858,000. That is something we can work with. I’d like to ask the Minister, can you seriously consider reprofiling these dollars and put it in the area of prevention and intervention?

Again, this has been tabled in the House last fall. We’ve given the Minister ample time to bring forward the budget. In the budget right now there’s already $900,000 in regard to intervention or prevention programs. So we already have a category that we can work this into. It’s just a matter of moving the $12 million that’s in that portfolio to the areas where it’s important.

Mr. Speaker, this was a very important element of the consultation that took place. Community members and individuals wanted to ensure…

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to respond to the Minister’s response to the Standing Committee on Social Programs with regard to child and family services. After glancing through the report, I have some real problems with the recommendations not being supported by the government; especially the 10 that are being rejected. Without those 10 recommendations being implemented, it very much undermines the community involvement in a process that should include communities, should include families and working with the families to find solutions to keep our children in our communities.

This...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, it’s clear that it seems like the health and social services boards are block funded in regard to how these dollars are being expended and what we heard out in the field is that a lot of these core services are not being prevented in all communities in the Northwest Territories and that’s what the recommendation is asking for. So would you consider re-profiling these dollars, directly expend them in the communities and not send them to the health and social services authorities, and spend it where it really would make a difference? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister tell us exactly how can communities prevent children from being taken away from their communities and working with the families and the children before it gets to this stage where you have to apprehend?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services in regard to the response that was tabled in this House yesterday. Mr. Speaker, the area I have concerns about is recommendation number 4. The reason for us that number 4 was at the top of the list was because we thought that was doable. Mr. Speaker, the recommendation states that to ensure funding for prevention and early intervention programs in every community, and also to present it in the Legislative Assembly’s 2010-2011 budget. But, Mr. Speaker, the response by the Minister clearly stipulates...

Thank you, Ms. Lee. At this time I would like to ask the Minister if you will be bringing in witnesses.

Again, we ask for input from Aboriginal organizations. They put it in writing, they forward it to the government, we develop a protocol agreement, we have the Aboriginal governments assuming that they were going to have a say in the agreement-in-principle in regard to devolution. Again, that whole process collapsed on itself and I find it kind of odd. Is that a government stalling tactic to not allow the Aboriginal groups to be at the main table during this negotiation and eliminate them from having a real say at the negotiating table?

Thank you. General comments. Maybe I will just ask the Minister again if he would like to respond to general comments that were just given.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to talk about the devolution process and the lack of coordination, consultation and respect that our Aboriginal leadership should get from a government-to-government relationship.

The Gwich’in Tribal Council submitted a letter dated April 19th last year to the government on issues that they felt had to be discussed prior to a devolution agreement-in-principle going forward. The agreement was signed, as we know, last September, with no consultation and now I’ve received a letter from the Premier to Mr. Nerysoo, some seven months after they received the...