Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [The members sang Happy Birthday] Thank you very much. Actions do speak louder than words, so thank you for that.

The minister of seniors’ actions have shown a lack of support for people with developmental disabilities, and the lack of support is directly translating to decreased care. To the Minister of Seniors and Community Supports: will the minister immediately reinstate the funding that is needed so that the Calgary area PDD service providers will not have to cut services?

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

Mrs. Jablonski: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the budget for the PDD program this year has not changed. It remains the same as last year, at $597 million. I understand that there may be some cost pressures that we have to be cognizant of. I would say to you that maybe there’s a way that we can do things a little bit differently so that we can make the $597 million stretch. I’d like to say that $500 million of that budget goes directly to our service providers for 9,200 people.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Pastoor: Thank you. To the same minister. Part of the reason for the cut is to direct funds toward unfunded pension liabilities. How can the minister justify cutting front-line services and supports for this reason?

Mrs. Jablonski: Mr. Speaker, there have been no cuts in PDD. The PDD budget remains the very same as last year. Like I said, I understand that there may be some funding pressures, but there have been no cuts. I’ve asked our PDD boards, I’ve asked my department and my divisions to look very carefully at their own budgets so that they can find the efficiencies that will help us make that budget stretch as far as we can so that the savings can go directly to the front-line services of our PDD clients.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Pastoor: Thank you. Are some of those funds going toward unfunded pension liabilities, not necessarily from the PDD but out of your department?

Mrs. Jablonski: Mr. Speaker, what I can tell you is that of the $600 million that we have in the PDD budget, $500 million goes directly to our service providers. The other $97 million goes to direct services, to the PDD boards, and to my PDD divisions. I would say to you that we have one of the very best programs in Canada, most generously funded. If you compare us to B.C. and Ontario, our PDD clients receive more in funding than clients in those other areas.

Alberta Hansard, April 13, 2010

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