Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And this is actually fantastic timing because it'll sort of lead off my questions of yesterday and the Member for Range Lake's questions today. This question is for the Minister of Finance, and I guess I couldn't actually speak to it yesterday anyway. But what specifically does the Minister want to accomplish in this year's budget to prioritize a stable resident health care workforce? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll try not to go on for 35 minutes again, Mr. Speaker, with respect to the budget. But on a high level, first of all, if the government has the fiscal capacity to invest in the Northwest Territories and in the people and the residents of the Northwest Territories over the long term in a sustainable way, then we can continue to provide all of the programs and services. We are running up ourselves right now against a situation where we don't have that fiscal capacity year over year and that one bad fire season can wipe us out with nothing left to show for it and nothing left to reinvest, so simply as a starting point.
Now, that said, Mr. Speaker, more specifically, the Department of Health and Social Services, for a very long time and continuing with this budget, receives onethird of the full operating budget of the Government of the Northwest Territories and receives the largest single addition this government had in this particular budget of some, I believe, $30 million. So in short, we are now still in a position where we're continuing to invest in health and social services. We have the health recruitment unit that is housed between the departments of Finance and Health and Social Services. That will continue, and that will continue to receive the investments in this budget and going forward through departments' efforts. It is seeing successes. We've actually achieved having a net 20 percent gain in recruitment to the health profession.
Mr. Speaker, I realize, and as Members noted, definitely on the last question, we do still have to address morale. We have to address retention. But we will be in a better position to do that when we have the capacity within the government. So, Mr. Speaker, I realize I've gone on probably longer than you want us to, and I'm going too fast, so I will stop there and wait for the next question. Thank you.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And while I understand the Minister is the Minister of Finance, today is budget day, we're talking about dollars, we're talking about investments. I really want to get at the core of what she spoke to at the end of her answer, which is what actionable ways can we start looking at making sure our health care workers are valued in ways that are not dollars ways, that are supporting them to be serving the public in the best way that they can and make sure that their morale is increased? I don't think that necessarily means more people or more staff. I think that means ways of looking at the work culture to improve it. So how can the Minister help our health care workers feel like they are in a safe, inclusive, and stable workplace? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Finance have met several times over the last short while. In fact, quite recently. I have also included meetings with staff from the health care profession. And in the course of those meetings, we are in a place now where we do need we've acknowledged, and we know that we need to work together. Taking the work that's already been happening in health recruitment, which has been successful, and now building on it to ensure that we can translate what's happening there and translate that success into one that is building on morale, improving morale, and making sure that the folks that we're recruiting are being retained. So, again, you know, we've had success with the health recruitment unit. That is continuing. That work is reflected in the work of the departments, which is what's reflected in the budgets that we have in front of us. But that is absolutely the next step.
So if I'm hesitant a little, there was a number of items that you know, again, it's not about making cuts and it's not about taking things away. We want to look at what we are doing better. One of the things we need to do better is retain retaining our staff and perhaps also, if I might, in the health care area, it's in questions of medical travel. Are we getting good service and good value for folks that are put through the system of having to go through medical travel? Those are two areas that are priorities for Health and Social Services and Finance. We are going to be working on them in the next few months. The business planning process for 20252026 starts in the fall. This year, we're a little off cycle, but that's only a few months away, and that is priority one or one of the priorities that these two departments are going to be working on as we work to right size the health care budget. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could the Minister commit to bringing back some actions that are tangible, pragmatic, and approach the concerns they're hearing from staff around the idea of morale, around the idea of management training, around the idea of, you know, making sure people are feeling heard and seen? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the answer is yes; it's how that is really the question here. Just recently the 2023 version of the Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey results have come back. I've had a chance to look at my own department's, Mr. Speaker. I often do look at other departments, including, in particular, Health and Social Services and the health authorities. I know other Ministers are doing the same. That is an important starting point. It gives us a sense on a number of indicators, including morale and training and engagement, to be able to connect some of those dots, see where our progress is, see where we're making gains, and see where we are challenged. So certainly we'll say we're going to have to start well, no, that is one place we're going to want to start. We are looking at as the Department of Finance in terms of what we're doing with our own broader recruitment and retention plans and policies and practices, including management training and including a particular management training and leadership training for Indigenous employees. So these are all areas that exist in our business plans and the work that is happening in departments, it's in the budget, this is what we do as departments, and we'll certainly want to be doing that. So, again, I'll end where I started with a yes, but the how we're going to get there is a much longer answer. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Final supplementary.
Oral questions. Member from Deh Cho.
