Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, other the last few years, nurses have shared the impact of unsupported work environments and critical staffing shortages on their morale and incentive to continue working in the North. And when our healthcare workers suffer, our residents suffer. Residents experience decline in healthcare, long wait lists, and reduced program availability, which all have direct negative impacts on the health and wellbeing of residents. This is felt especially by those people who live in remote and small communities who already receive inequitable healthcare.
Madam Speaker, our existing loyal healthcare staff are honest about what they need for retention, and this includes the appropriate complement of staff to reduce overtime burnout, ensuring safe work environments, and prioritizing work/life balance by making job sharing and annual leave possible.
Achieving this relies on people. Last week I asked the Minister of Health and Social Services to trade nursing education for return of service. This recruitment tactic, in the wake of global financial strain, secures a minimum of eight years of residency from southern nursing students, increasing our number of nursing graduates, and has a 100 percent rate of return on government investment. I was very happy to hear that the department is extending nursing bursaries to Indigenous and northern students, but this does not go far enough. We have longtime residents interested in nursing careers who would not be considered northern students. I am asking the department to extend nursing bursaries to nonpriority students for any remaining spots in the Aurora College nursing program.
We have 30 spots in the nursing program, and an established bursary program that already has a priority level on it. So why isn't the goal of the department to ensure that the program is fully subscribed every year?
Our current healthcare system is crumbling by design. We cannot be neutral and safe with our ideas to address this. Our system needs intentional, sustainable, longterm planning and funding. All of this starts with people. We need to prioritize public health. We need to listen to and respond to what healthcare staff are asking for. And we need to fully commit to training new healthcare staff by ensuring Aurora College programs are fully subscribed. The key to strengthening our northern healthcare system starts with listening to our existing healthcare professionals and incentivizing healthcare education. My suggestion, Madam Speaker, accomplishes both. Thank you.
Thank you. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.
