Glen Abernethy

Mr. Yakeleya. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For just a point of clarity, this question, this example that I gave was about prevention and promotion. The response that she gave me when she quoted section 7, if you actually look at their response, their response only refers to sections 2, 5 and 6 and there’s no reference to section 7. I think she’s talking about a completely different area than I am.

The other thing I want to point out with respect to that example is after they say it’s implicit in the act, they also go further to say basically no amendment is required so no action is required. So they’re not...

Mr. Chairman, I am not going to ask any more questions on child and family services. You are probably happy to hear that.

This section of your department, community health programs, one of the areas that you provide grants and contributions to are non-government organizations. A lot of what the department is affording in respect to counselling and addictions and stuff like that is done through NGOs in the voluntary sector. They are a very responsive group. They can do an awful lot. They can often go a little further with the money they provide them. We could, if we delivered programs and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services and relate to the response that the Minister released on Monday on the Standing Committee on Social Programs Report on the Child and Family Services Act.

The recommendations within the report needed to be considered in the context of the entire report. There was a lot of information in the report that helped us form the recommendations we had.

Unfortunately, when I’m reading through the responses and the information and action items, I don’t always get the sense or feel that the context of the report was...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 133-16(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates, 2011-2012, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to start off where I left off during my last round of questioning.

In discussion with the Minister, the fourth point that we have with respect to the child and family services is that we feel that recommendation 39 should also be implemented or at least begin implementation of recommendation 39 during the 2011-12 fiscal year. Once again, we don’t feel that a recommendation indicates or asks the department to make updating the policy and standards manual a priority, but assign staff to lead and manage the project and to complete it within a reasonable time...

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Ms. Meade.

For the record, you can hear all four of them today as well. When it comes to the child and family services committee, short sights from previous governments are hardly our problem. This is something that’s in the act, it’s something that should have always been there and we need to find a way to make it happen. There are options. Let’s think outside the box.

There are, as you pointed out, already existing committees in other departments. If there are opportunities to have the two departments work together for mutual benefit and provide these services, I think we should explore those options. I...

Thank you, Ms. Meade. Next on my list is Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Chairman, that is good to know. I am happy to hear that there is still some work being done on that. I understand that it will likely need policy change and, as a result of the decision to rescind, I know that you are not planning any policy change now. But this is obviously something that is important, and anything the department can be doing with its partners -- maybe ITI as an example -- to work with employers to find reasonable ways or reasonable mechanisms by which they can provide insurance to their workers where they don’t currently.

I know the chamber offers things and whatnot that...