Robert Bouchard

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I discussed in my Member’s statement about dredging, my question today would be to the Minister of Transportation. Does the territorial government have any dredging plans in the Northwest Territories currently?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the mover of the motion and a Member of the Board of Management I rise to say a few words. As you know, amongst other responsibilities, the Board of Management has a significant role with the administration of a number of laws and the appointment of statutory officers under those laws. One of our responsibilities is to appoint the members to the Human Rights Commission. We have taken this responsibility very seriously, Mr. Speaker.

When we appoint people to the statutory position, we appoint them with the confidence that we are appointing the people that best reflect...

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Is the territorial government working with the federal government to get any additional dollars to alleviate this problem? I know it’s not just a territorial problem, that they’re having the same difficulties in the provinces.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my Member’s statement, Hay River does not currently have any permanent doctors. My question is for the Minister of Health. What is the territorial government doing to assist local health authorities to recruit permanent doctors?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak about a large problem that we’re having in Hay River. For several years now, our local hospital does not have any permanent doctors. Hay River is one of the largest communities in the North and we do not have any permanent doctors. The Hay River hospital is a regional centre that helps out a lot of the members in the community as well as the surrounding communities. The local hospital authority has been working with locums for several years now. I know that the hospital authority has been successful in getting a lot of locums to flow through Hay...

Is the government committed to spending additional dollars in this situation for many communities in the Northwest Territories that don’t have doctors in their communities? Thank you.

Does the territorial government currently have any money in the budget to do this, or is this a future process?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Myrtle Graham, my new constituency assistant, and she’s from Hay River North. Thank you.