Sandy Lee

Mr. Speaker, there are services in our communities. I understand that the Member wants to have that service improved. We are working on a new initiative to support after care addiction worker programming. There are lots of proposals from the community and aboriginal governments in the Beaufort-Delta that we’re considering. I’m not saying wait forever. I have correspondence going to the Member within the next day or two that will state more clearly what it is that we’re doing for the Beaufort-Delta.

Mr. Speaker, the Health and Social Services department, as well as all the other departments, is right now having to operate at a certain growth level that’s a lot less than what they are used to. Health and Social Services over the years had been growing at about 10 per cent. We are trying to live within a 3 per cent growth rate.

Having said that, I do agree with the Member about the need to evaluate and enhance the services at the community level. We cannot rely on the authorities to do that, because they have strict budget measures. I have to review the entire program that we have in Health...

This government is working on a territorial nomination program, which we hope will enhance and improve the services of overseas residents who could come to work and fill jobs that we cannot.

The second thing is that it may be possible, as the Member stated, that American university graduates could come and practise in the provinces. Now, there is a difference between provinces and territories in that provinces have their own professional organizations that determine who goes into these professions. We don’t have that in the Territories. All of our professional bodies rely on other provinces to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have that information readily available. I’d be happy to look into that for the Member. My understanding is that for the dental profession, as well as other professions like physicians or nurses, we follow the guidelines and standards of other provinces with the credits with which the universities graduate these grads, so I’m not sure if we have it completely within our control to change our own laws to allow foreign trained dentists to come and practise. That’s one point that I am not aware of. So my understanding is that it’s not within our power, but I just...

I could have a discussion paper prepared in time for the next business plan review, which is scheduled to be at the end of November.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do understand the Member’s need that I do what he is asking me to do, and I will undertake to see what the feasibility of that is and get back to the Member.

Mr. Speaker, I was in the community of Fort McPherson with the Member in January. It was one of my first tours that I had as a Minister. I visited all of the Health and Social Services staff there. We have a whole floor of social workers, health protection workers, community wellness workers, the healing society; we have a lot of people there that are assigned to help the people of the community. What we are trying to do is see how we can service the community better by putting all those resources together and enhancing services in Fort McPherson. Mr. Speaker, I’ll just leave it at that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question from the Member. As the Member is aware, I have been to Tsiigehtchic twice since I became a Minister, and I have had meetings with the community. The Member has talked to me about this issue repeatedly. I do appreciate what the Member is asking me to do, and I have been working on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, as you know, right now all of the authorities are directed to operate in such a way that they balance their budgets. For authorities like Beaufort-Delta and Stanton, where they have been experiencing deficits, they are having to look at all the...

I will undertake to see if changing those words would help the process. I’ll consult with the necessary bodies and stakeholders and get back to the Member. Thank you.

If it is something that’s within our legislation, it’s obviously something that we could do right here. If that is so, I think we could consider that sort of amendment. My understanding is that there’s nothing we can do in our legislation that would change that, because for professionals like dentists, doctors, nurses, lawyers and engineers, their licensing requirements are controlled by their own profession. It’s not within the powers of the government to change those. That is my understanding. I need to confirm that, so we’ll get back to the Member on that.