Wendy Bisaro

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister for telling me what I already know. Yes, the department has programs. Those programs, however, are absolutely full. I don’t believe there is any more than maybe one vacancy within the whole of the NWT for somebody who needs to be placed in assisted living. I am trying to get the Minister to think beyond what we know and to go into the future.

We know there are many people coming forward who are going to require independent living, assisted living as adults and we want them to stay in our community. I would like to know from the Minister if she can tell me why...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Minister, I would like to ask again, I’m not asking the department to build houses, I’m asking the department to establish a process to work in conjunction with the Housing Corporation who does build houses -- I agree with you -- but asking if they would set up a process to partner with the Housing Corporation to provide the assisted living housing that we need. Thank you.

I would have liked to have heard the name of the policy, but that’s fine. I’d like to know from the Minister, her department generally manages the programs, the assisted living programs. I’d like to know if we have a policy that looks after housing needs for people who are challenged and who need assisted living. Does the department work in concert with any other department? I would hope they would work in concert with the NWT Housing Corporation, but do they work in concert with any other department in order to acquire and build the necessary housing for assisted living? Thank you.

I don’t believe I said that we don’t get any money, I recognize that there certainly are organizations that run programs and that there are contributions from the Department of Health and Social Services, but I am a little concerned that there is no fund for larger centres that is application-based, which I gather that the Small Community Homeless Fund is. I guess I would encourage the department to try and provide some funding at some point, if it is not in this year’s budget, then consider it for next year’s budget. There certainly are needs within all of our communities for homelessness...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I today, too, want to comment on the government’s response to the Child and Family Services Act review report. On first reading of those responses, I was disappointed. Although the majority of recommendations are accepted, they are not accepted unconditionally. To paraphrase Mr. Bromley, those responses indicate, yup, we agree, but can’t do anything because there is no money; and yup, we agree, but there is no change required.

The government’s response was determined by examining each recommendation in light of two criteria. One, will it improve service delivery and make...

Mr. Speaker, the consultation was done last fall by a group of 81 diverse representatives, 12 percent or so of whom were GNWT staff. Why are we consulting again and why the very short time frame? It seems as though, once again, the government is not listening to its citizens, that it is forging ahead without consideration for the input of our non-government partners. I will have questions for the Premier at a later time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Then what are the numbers on page 8-22 for? The $79.041 million and the $37.928 million? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d forgotten what I wanted to ask but I did remember. I just wanted clarification on Mr. Bromley’s question to the cost of physician services. The Minister mentioned that on page 8-21 it was physicians inside and outside the NWT, which is, give or take, $47 million, but on page 8-22 there are hospital services for $79 million and physician services to residents for almost $38 million. Both reference physicians, one in hospitals and one not. Is it $47 million for physicians or is it more like the $117 million that’s on page 8-22? Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, thanks for the comments. I don’t doubt that there has been progress. I guess I am just looking to see that that progress is reflected in the various authorities’ budgets. I think I heard the deputy minister say that there has been some.

I did want to ask, as well, about the client navigator position. My understanding from previous information, I believe, is that the client navigator position is going to be dropped in this budget. I have a concern. I’d like to know a couple of things. Just what is the job of the client navigator, and the second part is that I understand it’s going...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a couple of questions here. We talked, I guess it was just yesterday. It feels like a week ago when we talked about the deficits in the Beau-Del Health and Social Services Authority and the Stanton Health Authority. I wonder if the Minister could advise whether or not there is a debt reduction plan for each of those health and social services authorities to deal with their debt and their deficit. Thank you.