Tom Beaulieu

The Member is right; there has been a backlog as a result of not doing the elective joint replacement surgery. What we are doing is we are approaching Edmonton, the ones that are emergency situations. Some of the emergency situations are maybe what the Member is describing are possibilities. Although Edmonton, too, also has some on the waiting list. So that is our backup plan, but realistically our objective is to get the operating room back operational. Thank you.

We are hoping that it doesn’t require a lot of additional dollars to recruit doctors, but the intention is to try to recruit doctors in all the authorities across the North, but we’re doing what we can. The difficulty has not been the money; the difficulty has actually been getting doctors to those locations. Many doctors that want to come to the Northwest Territories have a desire to work in Yellowknife. Thank you.

I move, seconded by the Member for Monfwi:

WHEREAS Rule 85 requires the Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Government Operations;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Government Operations:

Mr. Michael M. Nadli, the Member for Deh Cho;

Ms. Wendy Bisaro, the Member for Frame Lake;

Mr. Daryl Dolynny, the Member for Range Lake;

Mr. Alfred Moses, the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake; and

Mr. Norman Yakeleya, the Member for Sahtu;

AND FURTHER, that the following Members be appointed to the...

Yes, the Department of Health has a process of recruiting. We have budgets that we work with the Department of Human Resources to recruit physicians across the North. As is the standard for recruiting anyone in the NWT, we have that money to recruit doctors.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS it is a requirement for the naming of two Members to hold the position of deputy chairpersons of Committee of the Whole;

AND WHEREAS it is desirable to appoint two Members;

Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that the honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Daryl Dolynny, and the honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Wendy Bisaro, be appointed as deputy chairpersons of Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a couple of people in the gallery. I’d like to recognize the father of my grandson, Mr. Vance Sanderson – he’s chairman of the Official Languages Board – and my cousin Georgina Biscaye from Fort Resolution. She’s the chairman of the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, December 9, 2011, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Government Operations:

Mr. Michael M. Nadli, the Member for Deh Cho;

Ms. Wendy Bisaro, the Member for Frame Lake;

Mr. Daryl Dolynny, the Member for Range Lake;

Mr. Alfred Moses, the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake; and

Mr. Norman Yakeleya, the Member for Sahtu;

And further, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Government...

As everyone in the House is aware, infrastructure money is short with the government at this time. We are doing health infrastructure. We are continuing to forge ahead with health infrastructure. We’re looking in areas where there is a need, an immediate need for long-term care. We’re looking right across the territory in all of the regions. Hopefully we’re building in the region where they’re looking, as an example, in the Sahtu to build a long-term facility. We’ll offload some of the pressure in Inuvik. We’re hoping that if that happens, there will be room for other people in Inuvik, and we...

I actually thought about that, having lived in Hay River myself many, many years. I actually thought, you know, it’s a really nice place to go. I don’t understand myself why we’re having difficulty recruiting doctors to live there.

Yes, it’s recent. It’s something that we’re attempting to do in order to help, for example, the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority to recruit physicians that can live in Hay River. Thank you.