I believe it would be reasonable to presume that in the other provinces the situation is the same as in Alberta. As we mentioned, the funding formula is outdated. It has not been changed significantly for over twenty years and for some very long periods did not even include any cost escalator. Furthermore, it does not take account of changes in provincial legislation and standards nor of the way services have evolved.
These days, we tend much more to offer preventive services in order to avoid taking children from their families but that is not taken into account in the funding formula. Under the existing formula, we give an amount to a program instead of really looking at the needs in order to set the funding level according to those needs.
It is imperative that the formula be reviewed. The government has let it be known that the approach used with Alberta is a model to follow and it seems rather optimistic about that. Of course, we will keep looking at progress made in this area and we hope that the Government will get good results, with performance indicators demonstrating real improvement.
Thank you.