Lesa Semmler

Sorry, Mr. Speaker. I can do it short, but I can do it so I could give the answer. So currently the NTHSSA is finalizing its formal employee engagement strategy. This is a draft strategy that's been distributed to all the staff members for their input, and they are actively seeking feedback. So executiveled council meetings provide a platform for discussion and feedback gathering, to communicate effectively with staff, the NTHSSA uses various channels, including daily staff emails, monthly coffee breaks, COO communication with staff monthly through their own newsletter, regular staff tailgate...

I could let Minister of housing answer, but I don't know if he'll get the answer he wants. Sorry, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, you know, the North the NTHSSA uses agency nurses as a last resort. This is not something that we want to do but when it comes to closing beds, closing units, you know, we seen this happen two years ago when the obstetrics you know, that you know, and we raised it in this House. It was raised in this House that, you know, the costs of the twomonth closure and the impact on all of those families that had to travel due to the closure, you know, if we're talking about...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in any one of our hospitals, not just in Stanton, but in any one of our hospitals, so Inuvik and Hay River, you know, the thing is they all have a manager, they all have someone that they have level of acuity. So any given day it's not the same every day. And so the beginning of every shift, you know  and if we're going to get down into operations, the beginning of every shift there is a level of care that's needed for those patients. I mean, I can talk about this all day. I don't know if the Speaker will give it to me but what I can say is that, you know...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, I think that the problem  like, this is an issue and this is an ongoing issue because even though we are the Northwest Territories and we do referral service to Alberta health, their practitioners are not able to  and the Member has stated  are not allowed to  like, you can't take their requisition because they're not licensed in our territory to go in and do the blood work here. And I know that there's back and forth. It's the same thing. Like, we can't take ours and take it down there and get blood work. So you know, there's a lot of work going...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, medical travel, you know, in the Northwest Territories, we're moving 44,000 people at any  you know, to be able to access care so it is very, very complex. And so when we think about the  when I  you know, as a Minister now that has to oversee this, there is medical travel that are for noninsured health benefits clients, so those who are Inuit or Status, you know, who hold a status card. Then there's extended health benefits and medical travel for those. Then there's Metis benefits for those who qualify and then the travel benefits for them. And there's the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure how many nurses have left the health care system to become agency nurses or to become term nurses because they want to go be closer to their family. There are different reasons for it, Mr. Speaker. Myself who worked as a alongside agency nurses at the beginning of my nursing career, there wasn't an option for me to pack up and go live some other territory because I was from here. So, you know, I think that's you know, when I hear the Member saying that it's more lucrative, well, you know, we have, you know, a different group of individuals...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like I said in my previous statement is that we haven't used agency nurses preCOVID for at least 15 years, and so this is something that has come because of the health care crisis post like, post the pandemic. And so right now what we're doing is strategically within the NTHSSA and within the department is, you know, we're identifying where there's high needs and, you know, and I think the plan like, the work that's going on right now is to try and home grow like, some of the nurses that are employed by our department in these specialty areas. So that is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And keep it short, yes, we are paying more now before the pandemic because we didn't use them for 15 years before without the OBS unit closed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a conversation that I actually had with Minister Holland last week, is the effect of, you know, agency nurses on our health care system and this is a discussion that I will continue I will be raising at the national level because as currently right now in the Northwest Territories, we have seven agency nurses working. And so if I was to say we are out of the 400 and some staff positions, for me to say I'm banning agency nurses and the rest of Canada doesn't do that, you know, I hear what the Member is saying, but the Northwest Territories can't do...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the funding  and I guess I tried to explain this yesterday that the COVID funding that has come to  will come to an end as of March 31st, there are going to be funding for was there for positions but like I said yesterday, there's no job losses because we've been increasing those numbers on those units with casuals and float and relief workers. And, you know, specific to the concerns that, you know, the Member is raising is the new funding that we had  that I announced yesterday is to replace a lot of those positions that  you know, to incur some of that...