Tom Beaulieu

Marci Cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, following up on my Member’s statement, I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell this House what the status of the recruitment of doctors in regional centers is today? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee would like to consider Bill 6, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2016, and Bill 8, An Act to Amend the Childrens' Law Act. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Speaker, are those units a part of the public housing inventory managed by local housing organization, or are they going to be managed by some other organization in the community?

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister if those units are restricted to single people and how do you prevent couples from moving into those units, because there would be more people they'd have more points? I'd like to know how the Housing Corporation was able to sort out that issue.

Maybe the question will be obvious, but I'd like to just get in on the record. Has the Minister seen an improvement in recruitment as a result of a new direction that the department is taking with health transformation?

I'd like to thank the Minister for that response and I'd like to ask the Minister if all of the specialist positions at Stanton are filled at this time?

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to do my Member's Statement on an important part of health transformation; the recruitment of doctors.

Mr. Speaker, at one time I envisioned a health system having a full slate of doctors in all regions and a full complement of specialists in the NWT. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services continues to improve its infrastructure across the NWT, including the Stanton Territorial Hospital renewal, new health centres in Hay River, Fort Resolution, Fort Providence, to mention a few. These projects are huge investments. It...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that we report progress.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, support the motion. I feel that anytime we start to spend money on early childhood development, there are huge returns. I know that it is a known fact that there are no better returns for the money that we spend than there is spending in early childhood development.

I have a good Aboriginal Head Start Program in Ndilo, as mentioned by my colleague earlier. I wish for that program to continue, the viability of that program. We have many students there, children in that program, and I've witnessed it. I've seen the curriculum for the four-year-olds...

Mr. Speaker, it's a huge issue in the NWT, especially in the small communities, many singles do not have housing. So if we're now building units that are specific to single people is that program going to be expanded into all communities in the NWT.