Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on the questions my colleague Mr. Bromley was asking the Minister of Education, but I want to ask these questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services. The Department of Health and Social Services provides $511,000 a year to Aurora College to deliver the NP program or the Masters to Nurse Practitioner and the Introduction to Advanced Practice, both incredibly important programs. It is our understanding, or rather we have heard that the department plans to cease that funding in 2012. Could the Minister either confirm or deny that for us? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a situation where a casual conversation between people at the official level was misinterpreted or it is being misread, Mr. Speaker. We have a longstanding tradition with Aurora College where we do fund some programs for them to train people that we need. It is not a normal practice for a department to fund 100 percent of all the programs that the Aurora College do. That is the responsibility of Education, Culture and Employment. It is a normal practice also. We can’t foresee exactly what funding is going to be in perpetuity. Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that there was a brief discussion between two officials. We are committed to expanding the Nurse Practitioner Program. We are committed to working with Aurora College to continue to work on this program. As the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment stated, we will continue to work on that.
Mr. Speaker, I cannot confirm what the Member has heard. This is something that came to us in the last two weeks. We are committed to working together to keep working on this program. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I am not exactly sure what that means. It is my understanding that currently, in addition to the $511,000 we provide or that Health provides to Aurora College to delivery that for us, Aurora College also charges tuition for their NP program and for their IAP program. I have heard through the grapevine that once upon a time the Department of Health used to ensure that all their community health nurses that they hire to go through the IAP and that we paid a tuition on top of that. But I have heard recently that the department is no longer having their employees attend the IAP program. Can the Minister either confirm or deny that for me, please?
Mr. Speaker, there are about four things that the Member said he had heard. I can’t confirm or deny. I don’t know. That is just the information he has, Mr. Speaker. What I am saying is we are committed to hiring and expanding the Nurse Practitioner Program. We are committing to Aurora College $511,000 that we have in the past. My understanding is that IAP program did not have enrolment interest and that is the reason why Aurora College is not delivering that program today. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, does the Department of Health and Social Services require that all the nurses hired into the community health centres throughout the Northwest Territories attend and complete the Introduction to Advanced Practice? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t have that information in front of me. I will have to get back to the Member.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
