Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions, to start, are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.
We learned last week that there are currently 30 spots in the Aurora College nursing program. So I'm wondering if the Minister can tell us how many bursaries are available? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. My information is that there are a total of 121 people enrolled in the nursing program, and 29 of them are first year. And between 24 and 28 typically are Northern or Indigenous. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. So, Madam Speaker, if there are, for example, 30 spots available to firstyear students of which 29 are filled, does that mean that there are every year 30 bursaries available for those students? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, it's my understanding that there are enough funds to cover 25 bursaries. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I'm wondering why we would undersubscribe a program or sorry, underfund a program. And I mean and maybe that's just how we go in Health and Social Services, is underfunding our programs and we need to stop doing that. But if we have 30 potential spots, why would there not be 30 potential bursaries for 30 potential nursing students so that we can potentially say, okay, we only have 29 firstyear students; let's put this one last spot out there so that we can recruit one last person to make sure that this program is fully subscribed. So why is there not 30 bursaries available if there are 30 spots available? Thank you.
Thank you. This is part of the trajectory of health needs to do more and more and more without any additional money. So this program is funded from within. What we can afford to do is 25 students at this point.
I want to say, however, that this bursary is not the only bursary or way to receive additional funds for education. If people in the nursing program go to the bursary section of the Aurora College website, they'll see some additional ways that they can apply for funding. Thank you.
Thank you. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, we have $193.7 million deficit within NTHSSA. Two of the main reasons for this deficit creeping up are cost of overtime due to staffing shortages and underfunded locum costs. So I think that investing in education in exchange for return of service is a good investment of this territory. So my question comes back to investment in bursaries is will this government provide bursaries in exchange for years of service to anybody who wants to be a nurse so that their program is fully subscribed every year? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the bursary program is for Indigenous and northern students. It's not for the southern students who apply to go to school in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha. She did oh, sorry, Member for Kam Lake.
I was counting. Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my last question for the Minister, then, is will they change the criteria of the program to include NWT residents so that even people who have made their home here for the last ten plus years and want to contribute to this deficit of staffing and a staffing shortage can partake in this program? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, as I said earlier to the Member this week, this program actually hasn't launched yet. The uptake is unknown. The funding is secure for the 25 positions at this point. So while I know she would like to score a point today, it is not possible for me to commit to what she wants. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
