Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that this committee defer further consideration of the main estimates for the Department of Justice at this time. Thank you.
Thank you. The motion's in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is a carried. Consideration of the Department of Justice, operations expenditures, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, total department is deferred.
---Carried
Thank you, Minister. And thank you to the witnesses for appearing before us. Sergeant-at-arms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber.
Committee, we will take a break now. Thank you.
---SHORT RECESS
We're going to continue on. Thank you. We had a nice little break, and we'll take another break about 8:30 to give the translators a chance to have some tea, coffee. Okay. And I'm going to continue on.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters. Main Estimates 2024-2025, Department of Health and Social Services. Committee, we will now move on to the next department.
Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 93-20(1), Main Estimates 2024-2025. We will now consider the Department of Health and Social Services. Minister of Health and Social Services, please proceed with your opening remarks.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am pleased to present the 2024-2025 Main Estimates for the Department of Health and Social Services. Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of $36.5 million, or 6 percent, over the 2023-2024 Main Estimates. These estimates support the mandate objectives for the Department of Health and Social Services while continuing to meet the GNWT's fiscal objectives to prioritize responsible and strategic spending.
Highlights of these proposed estimates include:
$28.3 million to address forced growth in a number of program areas, including the out of territory supported living program for adults, radiology, and the Yellowknife day shelter and sobering centre;
$1.4 million in the new initiative funding for the Transitional Housing Addictions Recovery Program; and,
$34.1 million in other adjustments, primarily to recognize funding under several agreements with federal partners.
These estimates support the priorities of the 20th Legislative Assembly and vision of Budget 2024 by:
Advancing primary health care reform;
Improving the public health system and the co-ordination of public education and awareness;
Improving medical detox programming and establishing transitional housing options to support individuals in recovery from addiction; and,.
Prioritizing initiatives that improve the sustainability of the health and social services system.
That concludes my opening remarks. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Does the Minister of Health and Social Services wish to bring witnesses into the House?
Yes, I do.
Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Sergeant-at-arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.
Would the Minister please introduce her witnesses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. To my left, I have the deputy minister, Jo-Anne Cecchetto. And to my right, I have Jeannie Mathison.
Thank you. I will now open the floor for general comments on the Department of Health and Social Services. Do any Members have general comments? Okay, I'm going to go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I'll keep my comments relatively minimal but I just had a few things to say that I felt were -- did fall better under general comments than anywhere else. And so I just wanted to say a few things.
Aside from the need for some specific measurables, which I've been speaking to kind of over and over again when it comes to business plans and, you know, we covered with the Premier in the previous department, but I do want to see us looking and shifting towards outcome-oriented targets in any of the business plans, and I apply that to health also. But I will say that I think the business plan mostly looks good for this department and addresses what has been communicated to me as what needs to change, particularly the item speaking to evolving our primary care system. That was something that was kind of highlighted to me during the election. I campaigned on it. And I'm happy to see that the department is acknowledging the need for that and just, you know, acknowledging that primary care really is the sort of the backbone of the system. And effective primary care is how you get into prevention of so many chronic illnesses and things getting worse. And that access to health care, that's really what that means for me. So I'm happy to see it in the business plans.
The one omission that I don't see in the business plan, and one that I do feel I should speak to is, you know, some of the issues that are going at Stanton and NTHSSA with relation to management, human resources issue, lots of the stuff that we've been talking about in the House with nurses, agency nurses, and I just wanted to kind of speak to and give voice to years of discussion I've been having with nurses and frontline health care professionals about management issues identified, working conditions being untenable, people have either left the system or on the brink of leaving the system. You know, I've recently been meeting with and kind of connecting with nurses, and these concerns continue to be emphasized and re-emphasized. And, you know, the quote that is sticking with me and concerning me the most is this idea that the system is at a breaking point. People are telling us that they are at a breaking point and they need to see change.
And so I think there's a number of ways that can be brought about. I very much appreciate and support and champion the ideas that have been brought forward by AOC in their proposal. I won't speak to those here because they're in the proposal, and I think we need to be cognisant of time. But I do support them, emphasize them, hope that the Minister, you know, takes them into strong consideration.
But I'll leave that as my general comments. There's definitely more to talk about in the health, but I'll keep it brief. If the Minister or department wants to kind of respond to that, just that point on the -- on the (audio).
Thank you. Any further general comments? Okay, seeing no more general comments does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?
Agreed.
Thank you. Committee, we will defer the departmental summary and review the estimates by activity summary beginning with administration -- or sorry, administrative and support services, starting on page 195 with information items on page 198. Are there any questions? I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can I just clarify that you said page 198?
Correct, 198.
So administrative and support services? Some questions, so thank you.
Could the Minister speak to -- I'm noticing here on the lines for both operations expenditures summary and I believe -- maybe I'm mistaken. But anyway, at least in the operations and expenditures summary that the -- yes, so for the line items for administration and information services, the costs have continually gone up from actuals to revised estimates from 2022-2023 and in both cases, in these main estimates, have been brought down again. Can the Minister speak to whether or not she anticipates those costs might go up again. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
I'm going to give that to the ADM.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the ADM.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So under the administration and information services lines, the increases between 2023-2024 Mains and Revised Mains are mostly reflective of third party funding for some positions that had time limited. So when we get new positions into the budget, there are certain things that are required to set those positions up, so TSC chargebacks, some supplies and equipment. So those are just one line in the budget and they would get added, and then they would not be needed ongoing for 2024-2025. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you for that clarity, that's helpful. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm good.
Thank you. Any further comments from -- sorry, any further questions from committee? Thank you. I'm going to continue on.
No further questions, please turn to page 196. Health and Social Services, administrative and support services, operating expenditures summary, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, $58,109,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
I'm going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
