Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a couple of items there. One, although the Member’s had a play on words with the patient wait times guarantee process we’ve set up with the federal government, our goal is to get nurses into our smaller communities through our community health nurse initiative. That’s ongoing and that’s targeted at the front line where people in our communities don’t have doctors, so that they can see the nurse in there and making sure those are fully operational. The other area the Member is speaking about is a regional facility as the Sahtu area is taking on...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, joining me at the table here is the deputy minister for the Department of Finance, Ms. Margaret Melhorn, and to my left is Mr. Joseph LaFerla, director, policy and planning for Finance. Further to my right is Mr. Mark Aitken, director of legislation, Department of Justice. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a number of initiatives that we have undertaken, as the Government of the Northwest Territories, to improve our working relationship with NGOs. As we realize, they are an integral part of the delivery in a number of areas. So we have looked at a number of factors of working with them. There have been requests made for multi-year funding. We have started to look at that in areas. As well, the government has looked at the overall NGO area where there are requests being included into forced growth. We have done some work in that area and have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that would be difficult as right now we review on a department basis the requests for budget. For example, during budget planning processes we work with the departments, departments bring their forced growth initiatives up through those avenues. For example, the Department of Health and Social Services would work with every authority on some of the forced growth requests and there would be some back and forth on that side before it comes as a departmental plan. It would be difficult to break out each NGO organization, their involvement, and separate...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t speak for the next government but on our process as we’re working, we are working, from a department level, with all of the authorities and we continue to review our development plans. We have a master development plan with every group that looks at community infrastructure and regional infrastructure. So first things first is we need to get agreement on a master development plan with the Sahtu Health and Social Services Authority which would take into consideration the population served and the facilities they have at their disposal for providing programs...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before we can look at a proposal, we have to work with the Sahtu Health and Social Services Authority on that master development plan and look at the infrastructure we have in the region, then at that point decide if further steps need to be taken, then look at how we can build that into our plan as a department and requesting funds from this Assembly. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that Bill 18, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No, 2, 2007-2008, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, they would fall into a number of different categories specific to what area of the programming the funding was provided under. If it was provided under strictly contribution agreements to groups and regions or if it was a contract basis, delivering part of a service on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories. So it falls into a number of areas. So there isn’t a clear line item that would just say NGO contribution agreement. What we would do, for example, if it was a new initiative or highlighting, departments would highlight when they...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first and foremost it would depend on the relationship between the NGO. If they’re in our regions, they would go through the appropriate department, the regional staff there. For example, if it’s an NGO working with the Department of Health and Social Services or a regional health and social services authority, they would go through that initiative. If it’s Education, they would go through the DEC process and then up to the departments on that basis. Thank you.