Mr. Speaker, in a little more than two weeks, the Government and Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories will be taking on new responsibilities for public lands, water and resources. For the first time, Northerners will be able to pass laws and make their own decisions about how our environment is managed and protected and our resources are developed. As we have acknowledged many times in this House, this is an historic occasion in the ongoing evolution of this territory.
We sometimes forget, Mr. Speaker, that history does not just happen, history is made. As we open an important new chapter in the history of the Northwest Territories, I would like to recognize the many hardworking public servants who have made that possible, and so made themselves a part of the story of our territory. We would not be where we are today without the commitment, dedication and efforts of these employees who have spent many years, in some cases, advancing the cause of devolution.
Today we are joined by many of those employees in the visitors gallery, and on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories, I want to thank you all.
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We have been well served by your efforts and your commitment to our future.
In addition to core staff, many other employees in departments have supported devolution implementation work, and my thanks goes out to them as well. It has truly been a team effort and
one where each person has played a critical role in achieving our overall goal.
Many Government of the Northwest Territories employees not directly involved in devolution implementation planning have also played an important role by supporting their colleagues who were more closely involved. They have kept the home fires burning, Mr. Speaker, and we are appreciative of their commitment as well.
Almost a year ago, we set up, with our devolution partners, 14 working groups to guide the work necessary to bring devolution to the Northwest Territories. Those working groups included 85 Government of the Northwest Territories staff, working either full time or part time on this project.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has never undertaken a project of this magnitude. It has only been achieved because of outstanding leadership, great dedication and a lot of determination. The success of our implementation planning speaks to our ability as a jurisdiction overall to manage our own affairs, to be responsible decision-makers and to serve the people of the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, the hard work of devolution negotiations is behind us, the hard work of implementation planning is almost behind us as well. What is in front of us, Mr. Speaker, is the future, a prosperous future, and we have our dedicated employees to thank for that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mr. Speaker, in early January 2014, the construction of the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk highway was officially started.
This is an important first step to realizing the long-term goal of an all-weather road through the Mackenzie Valley. This is the largest and one of the most challenging infrastructure developments ever undertaken by the Government of the Northwest Territories. It is a strategic infrastructure investment that will strengthen and diversify our economy and is a priority of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
The project will improve the quality of life for community residents by providing enhanced economic and social opportunities, enabling economic development and strengthening our country’s claim to Arctic sovereignty.
Mr. Speaker, the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk highway will be built on an alluvial deposit that is ice-rich with continuous permafrost, a terrain no other highway in the world has been constructed over. The design and planning has been undertaken by a team of experts, including world-renowned engineers and permafrost scientists. The nature of the project presents risks that are a challenge to manage. The department has taken the steps necessary to ensure the project is delivered in a manner that addresses the concerns, expectations and requirements of all parties involved.
Mr. Speaker, we have made significant progress. The department has obtained all required permits and authorizations, completed land and royalty negotiations, entered into the federal funding agreement and finalized the project design. We have done additional work on project risks, project management structure and communications, including the launch of a dedicated website to keep the public updated.
Mr. Speaker, steps have been taken to ensure the project can be delivered within the available budget of $299 million. The new highway has been procured within a single design-build contract. This has brought unit prices down and ensures appropriate risk-sharing related to the design.
In addition, EGT Northwind, the project company, has demonstrated its commitment to maximizing local involvement by engaging businesses or employing residents from all regions of the NWT. Mr. Speaker, it is estimated that up to 600 people will be employed during the peak of the highway construction.
The contractor has already trained 38 individuals on different types of equipment using a simulator. Two additional driver-training classes are planned for the near future. Already, five graduates of a Class 1 driver licence with air brakes training program completed in Inuvik in November have received employment offers. In addition, a training program for wildlife monitors was delivered recently in Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk and Aklavik.
Mr. Speaker, we are excited to have officially launched the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway Project after investing a substantial amount of time and planning effort to bring the project to this important, defining moment in northern history. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. R.C. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the athletes, coaches, cultural delegates and mission staff who will be representing the Northwest Territories at the 2014 Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks later this month.
This year, Team NWT will include 365 participants representing over half of NWT communities competing in 19 different sports and the Games’ cultural program.
The Arctic Winter Games are the largest and most important multisport cultural event held in the circumpolar North. There are nearly 2,000 athletes, cultural performers and community volunteers from nine contingents representing seven countries in the Games.
The Arctic Winter Games are successful because they include a program that combines athletic competition, cultural exchange and social interaction among circumpolar participants.
The Government of the Northwest Territories is extremely proud to support our team at the Arctic Winter Games through direct financial sponsorship and a range of other programs that support athlete, coach and officials’ development at the local, regional, territorial and national levels.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to recognize the many volunteers who help Team NWT, including the Sport North Federation and all of the territorial sport organizations who select and manage the team. Their contributions are significant and play an important part in promoting healthy lifestyles and vibrant communities in the Northwest Territories.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I also want to recognize some important volunteers and local government members from Inuvik, Hay River and Fort Smith who will be at the 2014 Games in Fairbanks preparing for their opportunity to bid on the 2018 Games being held in the NWT. This will be the first time in 40 years that one of our communities outside Yellowknife has hosted the Arctic Winter Games.
I know that the bidding process will be competitive and that all three communities have significant benefits to offer the games. Our best wishes go out to all of them. The Arctic Winter Games International Committee will announce the successful bid next year.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our athletes, coaches, volunteers and cultural delegates a fun and rewarding experience at the Arctic Winter Games. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This month we celebrate Aboriginal languages. Last year I had the pleasure of addressing the House in the Tlicho language. This year, Mr. Speaker, it will be my honour to pay tribute to the South Slavey language.
[English translation not provided]
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Thanks. There’s more.
---Laughter
[English translation not provided]
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to thank my teacher, who is also a translator here for the House, for helping me. That’s Mr. Jim Hope. Mr. Hope, mahsi.
Once again, a big thank you to the South Slavey culture for letting me share their language today. It was an honour and a lot of fun. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did not come here today with a prepared text, so I hope that I will do this justice in the company of these folks who have been so helpful and so instrumental on the devolution file. I also wanted to pay tribute to our government. I’ve said it in the House a few times before, so forgive me if I’m repetitive.
I have served under the leadership of six Premiers in my almost 20 years in this Legislature. Prior to even being elected to this House, I think I was involved in every constitutional and devolution commission and committee that there was out there that tried to solicit the input of people. I will never forget the frustration as I often walked away from those meetings going, how are we going to get there? How are we going to reach our aspirations for devolution in this territory?
There are so many diverse groups, diverse regions, diverse stages of political development, settled claims, unsettled claims, very prominent governments that we associate with as Aboriginal governments all very established with aspirations of their own in their own right.
Floyd Roland, Premier Floyd Roland at the time, with some criticism got the ball rolling. Behind him as our Government Leader came Premier Bob McLeod. I didn’t know Premier McLeod very well at the time. I often say he is the most understated overachiever that I have ever met, because when you talk to him and you meet him, you’re not going to get the full picture at first blush.
But, Mr. Speaker, we have accomplished a good thing here with the help of the folks who have been recognized here in our visitors gallery today. I would like to take this opportunity for all the Cabinet Ministers who have had a hand in this during this 17th Assembly and for the right combination of leadership that we found in the Premier we have now. He spoke the language of the bureaucracy, he knew that well from his many, many years of public service in our government, but he also spoke the language of the elected leaders, whether it be from the Prime Minister’s office to the Aboriginal leaders.
The work is not all done, it’s maybe not perfect, but it’s a tremendous accomplishment and I want to take this opportunity today to thank the Cabinet and the leadership in that Cabinet, Premier Bob McLeod. Thank you.
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Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the week of March 15th to the 22nd, athletes, coaches, volunteers, youth ambassadors, cultural delegates, territorial officials and leaders as well as parents from throughout the Northwest Territories will embark on the city of Fairbanks, Alaska, and participate in the 2014 Arctic Winter Games.
The Arctic Winter Games is a high profile circumpolar sport competition for northern and Arctic athletes. The Games provide an opportunity to strengthen sports development in the participants’ jurisdictions, to promote the benefits of sport, to build partnerships and promote culture and values. The Games provide an opportunity for developing athletes to celebrate sport and compete in friendly competition while sharing cultural values from northern regions around the world, and continue to be a positive influence for athletes, their families and the communities from which they come.
The goals of the Arctic Winter Games are the spirit of fair play, competition, inclusion and development. They also enhance self-esteem and promote growth and personal outlooks, promote socialization and cultural awareness, promote positive experiences and personal benefits. They provide health and social opportunities and promote a sense of belonging and strengthen community ties.
At this time I would like to take the opportunity to wish all athletes and coaches the best of luck. Your hard work, long practices, commitment and dedication will be put to the test at the highest level from regions in the circumpolar world.
To all who are attending, I am confident that you will be excellent ambassadors and represent the Northwest Territories very well. I encourage you to try your best in your sport, but most of all, have fun.
As a past athlete and mission staff, I’d like to also thank the Sport North staff and their volunteers, and to all those that are travelling, safe travels. Along with Minister McLeod I would also like to say, Go Team NWT! Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This weekend NWT youth, their coaches and chaperones will have packed their bags. They will gather their sports equipment and board planes to travel to Fairbanks, Alaska, for the 2014 Arctic Winter Games. This event, held every two years in the circumpolar region, is the Olympics of the North and it’s a big deal for NWT people.
The focus of the Arctic Winter Games is still the same today as it was in 1970 and I want to quote from the Sport North website, it is, “to involve as many athletes as possible either in the Games themselves or in the team trials, and to provide a forum of competition for those other than elite athletes with competitive opportunities in the south.”
For the last several years, thousands of NWT young people have been learning new skills, training hard to get and stay in shape, and practicing their sport in preparation for next week’s competitions. Involvement in sport or other recreation activities can have a profound effect on young people and it’s well known that they benefit mentally, psychologically, physically and economically from being active. Youth who are physically active are far healthier than those who are not. They generally live a healthier lifestyle, are less likely to abuse alcohol or drugs and often do better in school. Life lessons are learned through competitive physical activity, lessons which have a positive impact on the developing character of a young person.
I have a love of and for sport. It’s given me many opportunities I would not otherwise have had. It’s enriched my life through relationships and unique experiences. The young people who have participated in the Arctic Winter Games experience to date, through local trials and team selections, regional competitions and territorial competitions, have already benefitted from this year’s Arctic Winter Games. For those who were not successful in making Team NWT this year I say, stay in shape, keep training and try again for 2016; it’s only two years away.
The members of our 2014 Arctic Winter Games Team NWT are varied: athletes, coaches, cultural performers, mission staff, chaperones, parents and other supporters like parent organizers of charters. Frame Lake has great representation on the 2014 Arctic Winter Games Team and I would like to name them. I might go a little over, Mr. Speaker, if you’ll give me that indulgence. Walker Adjun, Anika Allain, Simon Arlootook-Zoe, Victoria Brenton, Philip Careen, Rachel Cluderay, Earle Dakota, Michael Doyle, Justin Doyle, Torin Dowe, Gavin Dwyer, Nichole Enge, William Ewen, Mackenzie Hotte-Joyce, Madison James, Carson James, Braden Johnson, Cassandra Kaminski, Megan Lafferty, Emily Paddock, Sam Porter-Kameemalik, Annmarie Senhouse, Zachery Whalen and, last but not least, Drew Williams.
To all of you going to the Games, do your best, that’s all we can ask of you. Win or lose, you will have gained tremendously and we will be proud of you. Again, Go NWT Team, Go!
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Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We can literally say a new government may be born tonight. Deline may become the first community self-government ever. Deline is known as the birthplace of ice hockey in Canada, now it may also be known as the birthplace of community governance.
This agreement was negotiated by those who moved forward, so we sit on the edge of our seats to see if 18 years of hard work by so many will be recognized tonight.
Deline has a vision, a plan, backed by their elders, encouraged by all the leaders to move forward. This community of Deline, in the Sahtu, was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This community was inspired to move, and move they did.
It is said that all great and honourable actions are accomplished with great difficulty and both must be worked on and overcome with answerable courage.
Those who came before us made certain that our land, that our culture, our traditions will withhold the waves of changes over time, and that we, as people, will be given the right to have and choose our own government. It is up to the people in Deline to honour those before them to exercise this right, for the eyes of the North are on them today.
What a privilege for the people to make history today. I say to the people of Deline, this is your day to choose what is right for you. This is your responsibility. For many years your negotiators, leaders and elders worked for you, now it’s your job to lift the last pound, walk the last mile. Only you can do this by voting today.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Many years ago great leaders in Deline knew of this time and now we are watching as it unfolds right in front of our eyes today. A nation is ready to be born. Through our land claims we negotiated the first step. The second step of our land claims chapter was to negotiate our own government. Bring it home.
Self-government is all about honouring our ancestors and their words. Today, people in Deline, make your mark.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This six-week budget session would not be complete without me repeating my two favourite words: Highway 7.
The recent federal budget just gave this topic further mileage. The federal government has renewed funding with the new Building Canada Plan in this year’s budget and the Department of Transportation’s Corridors for Canada III plan is part of the new Building Canada Plan, this country’s longest and largest infrastructure plan ever. The Northwest Territories will be getting a small fraction of the $53 billion, and we need a plan to repair the fractured highways of Nahendeh and our NWT.
Highway No. 7 is a key transportation corridor to our Northwest Territories. Last June the Department of Transportation earmarked $3 million for the rehabilitation of Highway No. 7. It’s a drop in the bucket, or should I say a drop in the pothole, for a highway that was not properly designed to withstand the frequent heavy loads transported year round through the region, but it’s something. We need more in the years to come.
The Prairie Creek Mine uses Highway No. 7 to access its work sites, transport personnel and goods, and meet other industrial needs. Additional roadwork is also much needed with the chipsealing of Highway No. 1 and the repairs towards Wrigley.
Industry and our tourists are strongly urging the Northwest Territories to make major investments in Highway No. 7. Spring is coming, and this highway should be at the top of the Department of Transportation’s list of priorities. Investments in Highway No. 7 are as important as any highway investment we can make, and we’re smart to put our share of federal funding there.
Many Northerners agree, we need a highway all the way up the Mackenzie Valley, and Highway No. 7 would be an integral part of that road system as we move goods through northern BC. We have more resources today than ever before to design highways that need essential geometric and strength criteria. Investments we make in the existing highways through Corridors for Canada to lay the groundwork for future infrastructure and the opportunities that it will bring. No multi-billion dollar infrastructure plan in this country would be complete without Highway No. 7.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. To have a real shot at success in university or college, Aboriginal youth need financial aid that matches the real costs of education. They also need transitional supports because they confront barriers at every turn.
The rate of post-secondary obtained is considerably lower than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Only four in 10 Aboriginal students in the NWT complete high school. Lackluster school performance haunts them for life. For example, Aboriginal people are not fairly represented in the GNWT because they often don’t have the right kind of educational credentials. There are exceptions, of course, like constituent Kathleen Graham who earned a master’s degree, but as a rule Aboriginal students don’t achieve on this scale.
Small community schools pose especially steep obstacles because high school diplomas don’t always reach an academic level that gets students into university or college. Other barriers are more subtle, such as mistrust in mainstream institutions and reluctance to leave the home community.
As well, without strong ties in the local band, the student may not be selected for funding and band-distributed funding isn’t guaranteed for the length of the program. Then there’s the clean-cut relationship between parents’ post-secondary attainment and their children’s. Here, Aboriginal youth are at a disadvantage.
To upgrade and qualify for a post-secondary program, the standard route is the ALBE program, but ALBE students aren’t eligible for student financial assistance. Admittedly, our Student Financial Assistance program is quite generous, but there is always a gap between what a student can access through financial aid and the real costs of education.
After factoring in tuition, books and living expenses, costs run upwards of $20,000 a year. Add a child into the equation and the figure runs closer to $30,000 a year. Most Aboriginal families don’t have enough discretionary income to make up the difference. For this reason, Aboriginal students are more likely to resort to big bank loans.
Working part time is another way to close that gap. This is more bad news, Mr. Speaker. Mixing schoolwork and paid work has a clear-cut negative effect on grades. The status quo is not a recipe for success. A revamped approach is required if we’re going to leverage the full potential of our youth. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There can be no doubt that the people of the Northwest Territories are concerned about fracking. Later today I will table a petition with close to 800 signatures from people in the Sahtu and people across the Northwest Territories expressing concern about fracking and insisting that this government exert its authority to refer future applications to a full environmental statement.
The stated reasons for their concerns include:
Horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is new to the NWT and is clearly controversial. It is banned or under moratorium in many places in the world.
Fracking permanently contaminates very large volumes of freshwater. This does not match the NWT Water Stewardship Strategy.
In other places, fracking brought lots of outside workers; alcohol, illegal drugs and crime with it. We don’t have a plan to deal with an increase in these social issues.
Fracking will require transporting toxic fracking chemicals and polluted wastewater to our communities, along our highways and on the Mackenzie River. NWT workers will also be exposed to these hazardous substances.
Sahtu elders tell us that water flows through the deep geology of the Sahtu and that different areas are connected in ways that science has not documented. We also know that underground networks of fractured rock and wells will eventually leak.
We have to look at the bigger picture. Our land, water, wildlife, cultures, communities and economies are already under stress and will suffer from the additional stress of fracking and associated development.
Extracting oil and gas increases greenhouse gas emissions and makes global climate change happen faster. Greenhouse gas emissions come both directly from the fracking operation and from burning the oil and gas that is extracted.
The decision to allow fracking in the NWT without an environmental assessment has created tension in the Sahtu and across the Northwest Territories.
Under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, every agency of this government had the authority to refer fracking applications for environmental assessment, yet fracking has already begun in the Sahtu without an environmental assessment. The list of accidents and spills has already begun to add up. Just in the last two days, two trucks carrying fracking wastewater have rolled over, both perilously close to rivers.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
As I mentioned, both trucks carrying highly polluted and toxic water rolled over very close to rivers. Fortunately none spilled. The ConocoPhillips site has had to shut down after a worker was seriously injured, and several holding dams and tanks have failed already.
People are concerned and they have every right to be. Many people are talking about a moratorium on fracking, but at a very minimum we need to do environmental assessments on these projects to respond to people’s concerns. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use today’s occasion to talk about an important issue. I want to give thanks to all those people out there that ensure the Northwest Territories and, more particularly, the city of Yellowknife is at number one.
We’re number one and normally that’s something to be truly proud of, but not in this particular case. Why, many ask? Well, this city of Yellowknife’s power rates continue to outshine all other cities across Canada. Believe it or not, our power bill rates are higher than Iqaluit’s or even Whitehorse. So we’re number one. Is that something to be proud of? I say it’s something to be ashamed of.
The cost of living weighs on the shoulders of the everyday working family continues to get heavier and heavier while the McLeod government watches this happen every day. When will this McLeod government stand up and fight for the everyday family who is trying to get by?
When 5 to 10 percent of your salary is going to your power bill, a signal must eventually be sent to this government to act. It’s almost impossible to have a one-income family. I barely know any that try to get by without two incomes.
The cost of living continues to be unbearable, but our Finance Minister will tell you it’s the intent of this government to attract 2,000 new people to the Northwest Territories. Quite frankly, who is going to want to come here when the Economic Development Strategy points out and they recognize that power rates hold Yellowknife back? If anything, they say in their report that it’s a negative, not a positive. Again, we’re number one. Boy, that’s scaring people.
But it gets worse. That hungry beast we know as the NWT Power Corp cannot be satisfied. Its insatiable appetite continues to grow by trying to increase our power rates. Oh, but don’t worry, it’s only $10 a month. Don’t worry; it will be okay. That might only add up to 3 percent of your normal bill, but you’ll be fine.
When is the courage going to be built up, thrust through this government to say enough is enough? Take back these high-cost power rates; show Northerners they care. It’s time to rise and show who they’re standing with. Do we continue to protect the Power Corp’s insatiable appetite to increase our power bills, or will they start standing up for the everyday working family who has trouble paying their power bills? It’s time they do so. Where will they be on the cost of living fight? Right now, they’re all silent.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very pleased to recognize all GNWT employees who worked on the devolution file that are here in the gallery. There are too many to name, but I’ll ask them to stand up and be recognized and also accept our thanks. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. I’d like to welcome here Mr. Anthony W.J. Whitford who has held every position in this Assembly once or twice. Welcome back to the House, Tony, it’s always good to have you here.
Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to endorse the Premier’s recognition of these hardworking folks in the gallery today. I know there are many residents from Weledeh, but all of them have played a critical part, I know. I’d also like to recognize, of course, Tony Whitford, a constituent of Weledeh I was very proud of, as we are of all our constituents, a special guy in this House. I would also like to recognize Weledeh residents Kan Baigent and Jacob Baigent. I believe I’ve heard Jacob is interested in the Youth Parliament once we get around to that. Welcome to those Weledeh residents. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. I’d like to welcome everybody in the public gallery here today and thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The other day the Minister of Human Resources issued a news release announcing that the GNWT continues to develop and implement an array of recruitment and retention initiatives to strengthen the public service and create employment opportunities throughout the Northwest Territories. I fully support this approach but it will not work unless all departments are on the same page.
My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. At a time when recruitment and retention could not be more important, why is it emblazoned in red writing across the Department of Health and Social Services’ career website, Practice North, that, “New applications to the DHSS recruitment and retention programs are suspended effective immediately until such time as the human resource strategic plan is complete”?
Does the Department of Health and Social Services not share the same commitment to recruitment and retention as the Minister of Human Resources? Can the Minister explain that?
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are committed to developing a good, solid, quality workforce here in the Northwest Territories of health professionals and allied health professionals, but the bottom line is when I became the Minister of Health and Social Services, I did have an opportunity to meet with the division which had recently moved over to HR. There were a number of questions about the effectiveness of our program, and continuing to spend dollars for no effect did not seem like a prudent course of action, so I actually directed the department to begin the development of a comprehensive strategic plan or HR plan for the recruitment and retention of health professionals. I have committed to sharing that with my colleagues across the way. But rather than run programs that don’t work and waste money, I thought it was better, and my colleagues thought it was better, to suspend the programs until such time as we could design a program that meets the needs to develop the workforce of the Department of Health and Social Services and authorities.
But as a note, regardless of our HR plan, we do continue to support interns within the department and the authorities, and we do continue to recruit qualified health professionals across the Northwest Territories.
It’s difficult to understand how we can recruit when we’ve got no program here. What recruitment and retention program specifically does this moratorium apply to? Does it include community health nurse development programs or does it include others? Can the Minister be a bit more specific?
