David Krutko

Again, Mr. Speaker, 600 children are too many children to be in care. I think that, if anything, it is the trend that started off with residential schools, where children were taken away at a young age, put into residential schools and came into that cycle. I’d just like to remind the Minister that we have to do everything we can to get out of this cycle. I know there was the Plan of Care established under legislation. I fought long and hard to get that in my constituency. I’d just like to ask the Minister: what are we doing to ensure that all elements of the Child and Family Services Act are...

Maybe I could suggest something to the Minister. I notice that amortization is increased by over $1 million, so maybe that’s a start.

Does committee agree that the Minister brings in his witnesses?

In my statement I made a reference to the Auditor General’s report in assessing children who are being apprehended on reserves in southern Canada. I believe that also affects us in the Northwest Territories. Has anybody in the department looked at the recommendations of the Auditor General and at exactly what alternatives and options we can look at to try to stem the flow of children being put into foster care and find solutions to those problems?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question is in regard to the whole area of home ownership programs. As we all know, the government in the past couple years has re-profiled its programs. We went from 14 programs to four general programs. It was supposed to simplify the process. It was supposed to make dollars more accessible in regard to homeowners and people who need emergency repairs but also dollars to repair their units.

The thing that frustrates me is that going through the budget process, we can see under the Main Estimates for 2007–2008 that they were looking at $2 million for this program...

Mr. Ramsay, would you continue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are spending a lot of money in regard to foster care, like I mentioned. It increased almost a million dollars from last year. We’re spending almost $7.6 million in this area. I’d just like to ask the Minister: do you have a program in place that allows families to be reunited with their children so that we can reinvest this money that we’re spending, the $7.6 million, in trying to keep families together, reunite them, and be able to keep the children in their home communities?

Mr. Jacobson.

Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have heard a lot in regard to residential schools and the high number of children that were mentally and physically abused in residential schools.

The Auditor General of Canada reported on the high number of children on reserves that are in foster care and in permanent custody of the provincial government. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories is no different. In 2002 in my constituency, there were 58 children in care in the three communities I represent. Compared to other jurisdictions in Canada and other groups in Canada, aboriginal people have the highest number...