Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And good day, colleagues. I'm going to tell you a sad story about a young person, a lifelong Northerner and a resident of Yellowknife, who recently talked to me and brought forward their concern, deep disappointment about their experience of working through the NWT Health and Social Services Bursary Program.
Now this young person, I was really inspired and now I'm not going to table it because it's a they're even a published author, Mr. Speaker. They work with groups like Home Base, the Tree of Peace, and many other wonderful organizations, even Dechinta, about trying to find healthy lifestyles for people, Mr. Speaker. And it's a shame to see this potential and excitement wasted.
So she's been trying to find work here in the Northwest Territories in her health background and found it was a dead end so very disappointing without getting the inspiration and opportunity she was really craving. And so she thought well, why don't I pursue my masters degree in food security. So she applied and she's been doing it over the last couple of years and she's been making great strides, and to be honest I was really excited when she told me about the work she's doing. She's even worked in the community of Tuktoyaktuk, visiting the community freezer, again talking about sustainable communities, Indigenous health by eating better, working better, working collaboratively.
Mr. Speaker, she applied last summer to get a bursary of $6,000 and being a smart person, maybe that's her fault, she was too smart. She asked where would I see myself in this return of service for my bursary? By asking that simple question, the department realized oh, wait a minute, we shouldn't have given her a bursary because we don't know we don't have a vision of where she would fit in the system helping Northerners; a homegrown Northerners who the carpet's been pulled from her, Mr. Speaker. So they sent her a little Dear John letter of saying, sorry, but you know, sorry but not sorry, we're gonna take it away. $6,000, Mr. Speaker. Exactly. Shame. It's pittance.
Mr. Speaker, in a public service of over 6,482 employees with the annual vacancy of a thousand people, no one had the imagination in the department of health where to find someone who has such important skills to help Northerners. So whether you live in Lutselk'e, you live in Tuktoyaktuk, you live in the Mackenzie Delta, these skills and homegrown inspirational stories are important to all our youth as we try to lead them towards opportunities that build and strengthen our future. Mr. Speaker, I'll have questions with the Minister of Finance about fixing this deep and grave wrong. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre.
