Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, just on a bit of clarification I am seeking overall: I needed to ask the Minister about early childhood development education, so I am talking about early childhood development educators. Aside from the grant, is there anything in this particular activity where the money is used to educate early childhood development workers? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

That is good news about the residents. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister if the Minister can tell us if the communities of Hay River, Forts Smith and Simpson, Behchoko, Norman Wells, and Inuvik have local doctors? What is the percentage of local doctors, the vacancy rate, in those communities?

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would look to recognize our interpreter who does the interpreting in my language, Mr. Tommy Unka. Thank you.

I'm just asking, not for a negotiated contract, but rather something a little bit different, something that's probably common and doable with the Housing Corporation, to sign a contribution agreement with the community, whether it be the NWT Housing Corporation's own agency, the Fort Resolution Housing Authority, or the band, or the Metis. I think a contribution agreement is kind of two-fold; first, it's going to create employment for the local people, and secondly, it's going to actually get the projects done for the community. It’s just that, when it goes to a neighbouring community, then...

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation on the procurement of their projects. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister if the NWT Housing Corporation uses BIP? Thank you.

I would like to ask the Minister if there are any doctors living in Yellowknife who do most of their practicing in one of the other communities I mentioned in my previous question?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I made a Member's statement on the doctors and how only 45 per cent of residents in the Northwest Territories had regular doctors, explaining the problems with that, while the rest of Canada is averaging over 80 per cent. I would like to ask the Minister if he can tell this House if the department is still trying to hire doctors to live in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have very reasonable people in Fort Resolution. Mr. Speaker, I know that the Housing Corporation has a method in which they can do contribution agreements. Now, the Minister is correct that they're moving in that direction, and we're not talking about bidding on houses. Unreasonable bids, bids to lose contracts, I'm not talking about those. I'm actually talking about mostly elders in the community who are homeowners, where they need help, and when they go in with the size of the project that the Housing Corporation has to offer, it usually takes two small trips in...

In my community of Fort Resolution, there are many very highly skilled individuals who can build houses and do all kinds of things. An example is in most big projects in the community, like the health centre that was just recently completed, I think they had one or possibly two people from outside the community, and the entire health centre was built, but they can't seem to get to work on the houses. Most of the housing projects go to members from outside the community. They come in because there are some people having difficulty getting BIP or some liability insurance, and so on. Would the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister if there is an actual plan to be rolled out. The plan I guess I am referring to is -- I do not know what it is called, but I am kind of calling it a territorial doctors pool. Is there an actual plan? I know that, when we try to hire doctors, some doctors do not want to live in the small communities because of services for their children, and services for children are just not in in the small communities.

Yellowknife can provide almost all the services, so, as opposed to using locums, is there an actual plan to build a...