Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I just want to turn now to some questions about the proposed new caregiver program. I know a colleague of mine asked some questions about this the other the day, but I just want to clarify a few things. First, the Minister mentioned that there was vision screening and hearing testing available; and I just wanted to know where and when these services are being offered. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are talking about the most vulnerable people in our society. They have intellectual disabilities. They have dementia. They have FAS and its effects. They need to have a relationship with the Public Guardian so that she can make effective decisions on their behalf. There are 77 public guardianship orders in place now. That means there is no family backup. There is nobody else to assist these people in making important decisions about their day-to-day life, and their health in particular. I can't understand why the Minister is not out in front of this and...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So what I hear is that this is a discussion point. I guess what I want to say is I appreciate that your priority is the formula, but I want to say that my priority is the safety of the women who live in the 11 communities that don't have police and they don't have shelters. Like, they are really in a stuck place when it comes to protecting themselves from a violent partner. So I really encourage him to keep talking with the Housing Minister and with the standing committee about a pilot program to see whether there is some possibility here for us to provide safety to women...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess it would be helpful to know whether this program is going to serve both of these cohorts; the people with the cognitive issues, the people with the frailty issues. Is this program for both of them? Thank you.

I did give the Minister credit for speeding up the assessment process, but we are talking now about another year-long delay before this 150-person caseload is going to be addressed by more staff. That is entirely unacceptable. This office needs to be re-staffed now. I would like to see this staffing adjustment made in a supplementary appropriation during this sitting. Can the Minister make that commitment?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, this was an initiative announced in the budget address by the Finance Minister, that a country food strategy would be created. It didn't sound like a public education campaign as much as it was about accessing country foods. It doesn't say in the budget address which department this is attached to, so it's not Health.

Moving on to my next question, I would like to commend the Minister for finding a permanent home for the sobering centre, and I look forward to the day that that opens. I would like to pursue a point I made in my reply to the budget address, and...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, during the business plan review, we talked quite a bit about the need to have an adult day program in Yellowknife, and I see that there is now a request for proposals out. Can the Minister please tell us what kind of a day program he is asking potential bidders to bid on? That is to say, does it include people with both cognitive disabilities as well as frailty? How many people will be served? How long a contract is this, and so on? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about capacity issues in the Office of the Public Guardian, specifically about the size of the caseload the guardian herself is expected to manage. The Public Guardian takes care of people who can't take care of themselves. Young adults who have been diagnosed with FAS, people with severe mental illness or intellectual disabilities, and older adults with dementia are all potential candidates for public or private guardianship depending on their circumstances. These, of course, are some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

When I...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister confirm, then, that this mental health action plan will be ready in time for the business planning cycle that begins in the fall? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I see the payment to out-of-territories hospitals has increased by $9,000,000, or will increase by $9,000,000 in the next fiscal year. Can the Minister confirm that this is a proactive step on the part of the department to line up actual spending with the budget? Thank you.