Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on a different vein, I'd like to ask questions to the Minister in charge of the PUB.

A constituent of mine drew a very important issue recently, and he talked about the fact that he had bought an electric vehicle but the infrastructure costs by Northland Utilities is being dumped on him if he wishes the proper upgrades so he could plug in his electric truck. Mr. Speaker, this is a territorial issue. If we want people to move to electric vehicles, why are we dumping tens of thousands of dollars on that individual?

My question specifically to the Minister...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I'll first agree that it shouldn't be I wish it wasn't a problem in the communities as well. But is it is the fact that this is a major issue in Yellowknife, it's not a problem for the Minister? That's the question.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate it very much. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I talked about the transparency, or I should say lack thereof, of the waiting lists for people trying to get a doctor, and it's from the department's information they provided that there's close to 2,000 people on that list. So my question specifically to the Minister of Health and Social Services is so she's aware of the number, what is she doing about the number to make it transparent for the public? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister is the Minister aware of how long the Northwest Territories has been absent of support services for rheumatoid arthritis given the fact that she had sat on the social development committee last term and is a nurse so she should be familiar with the concept of the program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to pick up where my statement left off and focus my questions on rheumatoid arthritis, Mr. Speaker. Is the Minister so I'll qualify my first question on this. Is the Minister aware of as to what program that supports rheumatoid arthritis exists in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS section 40.2(1) of the Public Service Act provides that the Commissioner, on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, shall appoint an Equal Pay Commissioner to exercise the powers and perform the duties set out in this Act;

AND WHEREAS the position of Equal Pay Commissioner became vacant in June of 2023;

AND WHEREAS the Board of Management was tasked with recruiting an Equal Pay Commissioner and has recommended an individual to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Assembly is prepared to make a recommendation;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to return and thank you, colleagues, by the way to recognition of visitors in the gallery. A near and dear friend of mine, their son is a page today. And he wasn't in the gallery earlier when we did it, and I wanted to recognize him when he was here, Mr. Seth Gordon. Thank you very much for being a page in the Legislative Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item number 7 on the orders of the day. Thank you.

Well yeah, I'll start with that. That's a good point. Seven too many, of course. And I spoke to one who was a former nurse in the Northwest Territories, and she told me it's way more lucrative to quit her job and move south to become an agency nurse. Mr. Speaker, as I said, what is the department doing to reengineer the nursing agency problem and to define this; what is the issue that seems to be blocking the problem that the department doesn't seem to understand? Why are nurses quitting to become agency nurses to come back home to the Northwest Territories and work?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to have questions for the Minister of health as well, and as a matter of fact I have doctor questions but I was just realizing I have nursing agency questions, so I'm going to build on my colleague's questions here, Mr. Speaker.

What has the department done to reengineer the nursing agency problem because this is an attack on the health system as pointed out by my good colleague. And even the Premier of Manitoba has defined it as a crisis and attack on the health system. So in other words, to the question, Mr. Speaker, what is the department doing...