Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reason that the Stanton Territorial Health Authority is not actively doing elective joint replacement surgeries at this time is due to ongoing renovations to the ventilation system. They have to achieve a super clean operating room in order to do joint replacements because there is high possibility of infection with that type of surgery.

The Member is right that this is an issue across a lot of jurisdictions who are unable to get physicians to go to a lot of their rural areas. However, our whole system in dealing with the federal government is not specific to recruiting doctors. We do have discussions with the federal government on the Health Accord and the federal government provides money through the Health Accord to the government, which portions of it can be used for recruiting. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the Government Operations committee appointments motion I gave notice of earlier today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health is working with the Department of Human Resources to get a health human resource specialist involved in developing some sort of recruitment strategy for physicians that need to come to the Northwest Territories outside of Yellowknife to try to fill the vacancies. We have almost 100 percent vacancy across the territory, with the exception of Stanton and Tlicho.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the deputy chairpersons of Committee of the Whole motion I gave notice of earlier today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to pay tribute to Kenneth Frank Delorme of Fort Resolution who passed away in October. He was more commonly known as Tinker.

Ken Delorme was born on April 12, 1969, and passed away on Monday, October 24, 2011. He was only 42 years old.

Ken had terminal cancer, with no cure, and spent many months in the hospital in the North and the South. Although Mr. Delorme may have been in a lot of pain and turmoil, he never once complained. Ken was a Metis man who loved life and lived it with a passion. He kept his humour about him until the day of his passing.

Ken...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, December 9, 2011, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that the honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Daryl Dolynny, and the honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Wendy Bisaro, be appointed as deputy chairpersons of Committee of the Whole.

At the appropriate time I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although I have not had a full opportunity to check into the long-term care and what they’re able to provide to people from other communities in the Beaufort-Delta at this time, my understanding is that there is a shortage of beds in Inuvik for people from other communities in the Beaufort-Delta to go there and that’s an issue that we are trying to address.

At this time I do not have an overall plan here with me on what we’re going to do with the people that are going from their homes or from senior citizens homes into long-term care.

The issue of money was that it was not an issue of money in recruitment as opposed to salaries. When I referred to that, it was not an issue of money, it was an issue of getting people to come. I’m sure if we paid anybody enough money, they would come. But this is something that the department would consider. I would say that we would have to work with the various health authorities. One of the things that we are actually contemplating is trying to create one pool that can be shared by the entire Territories and an option to that could be going out to find recruiting people that do headhunting...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health has been working with the Department of Human Resources and has recently hired a health human resource specialist responsible for the development and creation of a specialized recruiting and retention strategy program. This strategy is aimed at increasing the number of physicians in rural communities. Thank you.