Robert Hawkins

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. Mr. Speaker, there's so much to talk about and we're given less than 20 minutes to talk about it. And part of this is about the conversation. I mean, the morose public continues to go through this process, and they want their chance. They're pining to be heard, Mr. Speaker. They want to be involved. They need to be involved. And for that I want to thank the public. The public interest has been on this since day one. There's been no shortage of interest and certainly input from the public, Mr. Speaker. And, you know, we can attempt to name some. We'd like to highlight...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think I was part of that earlier confusion. I thank the Member for Monfwi for moving the amended motion obviously and the Member for Range Lake for clarifying what it is, the intent of the amendment. That said, it's already been explained on the record so there's no sense in repeating what it was, but I want to further underscore I think the Members would like a recorded vote in this amendment process so therefore I'll formally ask for it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, it sort of sounded like she was a territorial Minister on the last piece, which I'll accept. That said, I was worried where she was going with that.

Mr. Speaker, to my original question, what is the Minister doing to bring transparency to the waiting list to get a doctor? 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...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to the orders of the day, item number 5. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate your eye on the clock because, my goodness, we'd be through question period before we got to all the Members based on some of these answers.

She said we're doing whatever we can. You're paying the agencies too much. It's that simple. That simple. Mr. Speaker, money is the problem and the Minister says well, you know, I don't know but the reality is people leaving here because they know they get paid more coming back here. It's not about family.

So, Mr. Speaker, my question specifically to the Minister is is she willing to table publicly a wage comparison...