The Department of Health and Social Services is on the verge of a non-government organizations (NGOs) funding shift that could see advocacy-only organizations lose support.

At this point, Doug Graham, the department's minister, can't say which organizations may see a funding cut, only that his department is starting to move in this direction.

"For the last 10 years, up until next year, under the Canada Health Transfer Act, we received from Canada an extra six per cent on our budget every year; well, that's now ending,” Graham said in an interview earlier this week, explaining the new funding philosophy.

"Next year, we will start receiving only three per cent extra funding for health from Canada. That means that our budgets are going to be somewhat constrained.”

Graham clarified that organizations that do advocacy work in addition to providing services won't be affected by the changes, neither will funding be contingent on organizations abandoning their advocacy role.

The minister explained Tuesday in the legislature that the decision to transition away from funding advocacy-only organizations is about "choices.”

"It's about providing services to people through NGOs who actually need a service.

"It's a choice that I have made within my department to say if services are going to be needed in a certain area, then we will reallocate funding from the groups who simply provide advocacy services and no actual services to individuals,” he said.

Jan Stick, the NDP's Health and Social Services critic, questioned the minister's new direction Tuesday.

"It is the grassroots organizations and NGOs that are most often the voice of individuals and groups who are not heard,” Stick said.

"It is their voices that point out inequalities and advocate for people left behind,” she noted.

"It was concerned individuals and parents of the Yukon Childcare Association who advocated 39 years ago that there be legislation and regulations around daycare; it was concerned seniors who advocated for recognition and protection around senior and elder abuse; it was the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition that advocated and worked hard to get the Whitehorse Food Bank up and running,” Stick continued.

"Why does this minister think that groups such as these that advocate to bring to the forefront social justice issues that impact our families, our neighbours, our friends, and our communities don't deserve some core funding?” she asked.

Graham retorted that "the number of advocacy groups we're talking about here is not large.

"The members opposite seem to think we're going to cut funding for a huge number of groups in the upcoming budget — that's simply not true.

"What we're attempting to do is allocate our funding so we get the biggest bang for our buck — that we get the services to those people who need them.”

See letter.