Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I understand the frustration that the residents of Hay River have had. Obviously, we need to do better in Hay River than we have done.

The authority is actually currently developing a new formal recruitment strategy in order to help them find more physicians, hopefully on a permanent basis. A lot of work needs to be done. I think the Member did a great job of articulating some of the things that need to be done. Some of those things are the types of things that they are doing, but I will reach out to the authority and figure out where we are on some of those exact...

In short, yes, the Housing Corporation does have a number of programs around accessibility that seniors can use to do upgrades to their places to ensure that they can stay there safely for as long as possible. We've had a really great relationship with the Housing Corporation when it's come to the independent living units. They've really worked with us to make sure there's program space, and they did participate in the development of the Continuing Care Action Plan. It's not a Department of Health and Social Services action plan. It's a whole-of-government action plan. We really understand and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a government, we acknowledge that the abhorrent practice of performing sterilization procedures upon Indigenous women under a forced or a coerced circumstance took place in the Northwest Territories in the past, long before any of us were in this House. I personally condemn the practice, as I know all Members in this House must, of coerced or forced sterilization. As a government, we take seriously the accounts that have been shared by residents. I would really like to commend the individuals for their courage in sharing their stories and bringing forth this issue.

Un...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize the P.A. School that's on their trip, and their teachers and chaperones. I don't think I'm going to do as good a job as my colleague from Hay River North. Some of these names are a little tough: Charlea Chocolate, Daide Coleman, Delayna Cross, Gracious DeVera, Everett Durocher, Miah Harris, Louis King, Natalie Linehan, Lexus Pellissey, Jack Pettipas, Mackenzie Schwartz, Ryan Tambour-Wilson, Deacon Tybring, Kasthon Vyse, Xavier Graham, Raiden Gully, Brody Hodgeson-Beaulieu, Kaydence Lockhart, Ian Cayen, Brianna Simister, Charlene...

The Department of Health and Social Services is concerned about the public health of the residents of Hay River and the contamination in the building. We have limited access to the building. There is no access to the building unless somebody is properly gowned and prepared to go into that building recognizing the hazmat and the contamination issues. We don't have a plan to do anything with the building, other than keep it under lock and key until such a time as our conditions are met, but we recognize that work needs to be done. We are prepared to have conversations with owners, community, and...

The department isn't blind, and we can also read. We have seen the information on Facebook and other social media that the owner of the building is likely not going to do this work. We are prepared to work closely with the WSCC. We are prepared to work closely with the Fire Marshal. We haven't moved forward with a fine, because of the exact reason the Member has indicated; the likelihood of getting money out of that is unlikely, and the bottom line is that we are more interested in remediation of the building and health protection than we are in getting money from the owner.

We are exploring...

Today, compared to when this activity was occurring, we have best practices and additional checks and balances in place to ensure that patients are given alternative options before referring a patient to sterilization procedures as part of pre-op. Today, it's also our best practice that patients are again asked if they fully understand the nature and the consequences of the procedures that they may be wishing to undertake, as part of ensuring the patient has provided informed and knowledgeable consent before the procedure is actually done. Additional supports can and could be offered, such as...

The federal government has formed a working group to look at ways of embedding cultural safety and humility into the design and delivery of healthcare services in Canada. This working group, as a note, will not deal directly with forced sterilization as part of its mandate. We do support the federal government's efforts to collaborate with provinces, territories, Indigenous groups, and national provider organizations on measures to improve cultural safety in the health system. We are participating in that working group. The GNWT is also committed to working with Indigenous governments in the...

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome the following people from the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories of Nunavut who are with us here today: Rommel Silverio, who is the President; Denise Bowen, the executive director; Jan Inman, the director of professional conduct review; and Shawna Tohm, the director of regulatory services and policy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for being here today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To advance our government's commitment towards community wellness and safety, we are taking steps to improve the care for our people by working with the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut to explore the creation of one self-regulatory framework for all nursing professions in the Northwest Territories. Currently, to practise in the Northwest Territories, registered nurses and nurse practitioners apply for licensing to the association, while licensed practical nurses apply for licensing to the Department of Health and Social Services...