Thank you, Mr. Chair. There is, I guess, within human resources, depending on the jurisdiction, like if it's NTHSSA public service, that information, I believe, is tracked through finance's human resources, and it is published through their annual reports. So thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. To the Member of Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And that's where the tricky bit of NTHSSA and finance. Human resources and HR, human resources, always overlaps and I am always uncertain where the line is. So thank you to the Minister for that.
Can the Minister speak to some of the initiatives that are being considered to -- if there are any new initiatives being considered to increase the number of NWT residents working in health care? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the Member. To the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I believe within our system, you know -- and I think that one of the pieces is that what -- under the health and social service portfolio, there are things that we have been doing and I think it's through the human resource plan -- the HR plan that health and social services is doing, and then there's the new work on the people strategy that is going to be -- being released publicly soon.
And in those areas, it's focusing on with internally to supporting staff, making sure that -- you know, that there's new staff coming into the territory, that they're supported into their areas of work, that there's places that they're feeling that, you know, their voices are being heard. You know, we've heard -- but we've also heard from staff and through all of the reasons of staying in the North, they fall outside the jurisdiction of health and social services. And what I mean in there is a lot of things that came forward are housing and -- you know, and negotiations through, you know, bargaining and things like that, that health and social services doesn't lead on those areas.
And so what we have done through the work that we're trying to create the people strategy is we want to make sure we honour that of what we've heard from staff that we are able to collaborate with our other Ministers' areas that address some of these areas. So I think we've established a working -- like, there's work to establish, you know, working together to try and find ways to best respond to those concerns. And at this time, you know, I think that's where this new human resource plan for NTHSSA and the health authority is looking at that through the pillars of the areas that have been brought forward. However, you know, I think every area that is in that is going to, you know, take some time to address, and there's going to need to have resources with that. And this is where, you know, we struggle between ensuring that we have adequate resources to run the essential programs that we have while making sure that our staff are supported. So this work is ongoing. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the Minister. To the Member of Great Slave, your time is up. Did you want to go back on the list for this activity.
Thank you. I am not certain --
Okay, the chair will now recognize the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I wanted to start by asking about the overall net staff position changes for the department first.
So we see a net increase here of 18 new positions, but my understanding was that two positions were removed based on the sunset of a federal agreement that we would be hoping to renegotiate, the Canada-NWT Agreement to Work Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians. So that's the agreement with Health Canada. Can we expect, then, that the actual net addition will be 20 positions, or can the Minister comment on whether there's any positions that haven't been included here that we would expect to sort of put back in as soon as we can renegotiate the federal agreement? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the Member from Yellowknife North. To the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll turn that over to ADM Mathison as keeping track of those numbers with the in and out, I'll confuse them for everybody. So I'll just turn it over to her.
Thank you, Minister, please go ahead. Assistant deputy minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So tracking of positions is extra complicated with our funding that we get because a number of the positions that we do have in our budget are reflective of time-limited funding, so it comes in and out. So yes, there are 18 positions increased net in this budget for the department. 14 of those are specifically related to the northern Wellness Agreement, which we just renewed for a five-year period. And then there are other ones that are not in this budget that are expected to be added to the budget through the supplementary funding process and next year's budgeting process, shared health priorities being a significant one. That agreement is sunset something March 31st, 2026. And we're just in the stages of finalizing that extension to that agreement for the next few years. So those positions are not yet in here either.
The increase in positions that are not related to third party funded agreements are four, and those are related to funding we got for forced growth and new initiatives. So there's project management for a couple of the initiatives that we're doing that are time limited. So there's three positions that are time limited, and one additional position to fund the supports needed to -- for the 8-1-1 program. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And so, I mean, the overall purpose of my questions here are just so we have a clear sense of how much the public service and our healthcare providers, how much the staff workforce is growing or not, like at an overall level. And so I wonder if I can also ask at this time about a similar question for the health and social services authorities. And so, similarly, my understanding is that there are federal agreements sunsetting that we expect to renegotiate, and my understanding was there's about 50 positions in the authorities that we expect to renegotiate and would hopefully be back in there. So even though we see only 13 new net positions showing up at the authorities, is the actual number that we can expect to see more like 63? I wonder if the Minister can comment on that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the Member Yellowknife North. Minister.
I'll just defer that to ADM Mathison.
Okay, thank you, Minister. Assistant deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, with agreements set to be signed for 2026-2027, we expect about 45 positions additionally to be added to the budget for the Working Together Shared Health Priorities Agreement, and we expect about another 53 positions related to the Home and Community Care federal agreement that is going to be signed for the next five-year period here imminently. So right now it's showing 13. The 13 increase is offset by -- I believe it's 36 positions that are removed from this budget that have moved to the Housing Corp related to the shelters that transferred between departments, so. But yes, you're right, there are a number of positions not reflected here that will soon be added. Those are the two biggest pots, though, the shared health priorities as well as the home care agreement. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, assistant deputy minister. Back to the Yellowknife North Member.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, and given that there's a significant number of positions that are going to disappear from this budget but then just appear again right away in the Housing NWT budget, I just think it's important for people to have a general sense that the overall number of sort of health and social services workers that we're going to be seeing out there is more like 90 or 100 sort of new workers. I think when you total all those up, just to have sort of some perspective on things.
I wanted to ask next, I think there was indication in my notes that some of the sunsets of federal funding could affect funding for frontline workers such as community mental health nurses, addictions nurses, regional public health nurses. Is that funding expected to be restored or renegotiated, or should we expect to see some loss in terms of those types of frontline positions in 2026-2027? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the Member. To the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As the ADM has stated, the way that the budget is processed, so we don't have the agreement -- we didn't have the Working Together Agreement with Health Canada, and we didn't have the First Nation home and community care signed off by the time that this budget was available. The funding for those positions is until March 31st that were up -- like, that were in the current budget; however, by the time this budget was printed and put together we don't -- like, we have commitment to the working together ongoing funding, the same funding. So those positions, come April 1st, you know, what will happen is once the agreement gets signed, you'll usually see that reflected in a supplementary appropriation the next time that we sit, so. However, there is no -- because the agreements will backdate to April 1st, there is no changing of the positions. So those positions will continue to be there. We're just in the process of signing agreements. They just don't happen when we want them to happen. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. To the Member of Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So that, I think -- I think that gives us assurance that those positions won't be cut, as far as we can tell.
I wanted to ask, because I did see there was a reduction of one position due to the sunset of Public Health Agency of Canada funding, and it was related to hospitals injury reporting and prevention program. So I am wondering if -- if that -- the hospitals injury reporting and prevention program is concluded now or if that's continuing, but I wondered what was accomplished during the term of that position before it has sunsetted. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, that third party funding is currently being renegotiated and that -- there is no change in that position so it will continue. And that goes for many of our tfhird party fundings within our system. So we get our health transfer which funds, you know, and we get our portion of the funding, but then there's all of the different federal agreements, that they have multiple different agreements that they fund us in different ways, so that's the -- like, and I said in my previous statement that's why we have to do this accounting thing every time, every year, it seems like. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. And in the spirit of time there, I'll recognize one more question, if you do there, to the Member of Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the Minister helping to explain that. I know that the budgets can get confusing but I think for people to have a clearer sense overall of what's happening is helpful. I'll hopefully get another ten minutes.
But I wanted to start -- touch on -- this is the last line of questioning -- the business plans for HSS around recruitment and retention initiatives for the healthcare workforce. I am noticing on page 24, 25, 26 of the business plan that we have not yet established any targets for employee turnover rates, vacancy rates. Can the Minister explain why we don't have any targets established for improving those things. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the Member of Yellowknife North. Minister.
Yes, thank you. Mr. Chair, right now, we're in the process of putting those measurements in, and that's through the new recruitment strategy. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the Minister. We will move on. Did you want to go back on the list there, Member of Yellowknife North? Okay, we shall do that.
The chair recognizes the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I recognize your generous indulgence of Members' questions. I want to dig into something that dates back to a previous budget but shows as a line item here, and so this one may be a bit of a history lesson that I am hoping the staff can maybe take us through.
So the Health System Investments Agreement is listed in this budget as activities related to climate change and wastewater surveillance in NWT communities, illicit drug toxicity. It has -- this line item has previously been described as funding from Indigenous Service Canada for activities related to improving midwifery services in NWT communities. And that's what I wanted to ask about, was what happened to that funding for midwifery services specifically? How was that spent in previous years; was it carried over? It's been unclear. Thank you.
Thank you to the Member of Frame Lake. Minister. We'll transfer over to the assistant deputy minister. Please, go ahead.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So that line on Health System Investment Agreement, like, I -- yeah, that is -- that is something that we've set up with the federal government to -- as a pathway to fund us for some of those one-time, not necessarily program-specific funding pots that come available. And they were previously adding all of the funding that they had to provide to us under the Northern Wellness Agreement but it was getting confusing under the Northern Wellness Agreement, so we pieced it out and created this separate path under the Health System Investment Agreement, and it is specifically that, for very time-limited sorts of funding that they want to offer to us to do time-limited efforts.
The midwifery, we may have to get a little bit more detail, but the midwifery one, my recollection is that we actually have a carryover on that pot of money right now that we're just trying to determine whether or not it's eligible for future carryover -- it went unspent -- and whether or not we can still use that or whether or not it needs to be returned to the federal government as unspent funds. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, assistant deputy minister. The Member for Frame Lake.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, that's exactly what I was looking to find out, and I appreciate the answer on that. So it sounds like we're going to have to do a bit of commitment for a follow-up there. But in that commitment, I'd appreciate them helping us understand why the funding wasn't spent as well. You know, I've raised midwifery pretty much every sitting since the beginning and, you know, have some constituents who are very passionate about it and so will continue to do so. And so I am just wondering, you know, there was a controversial budget cut a few years ago where midwifery services were cut, and now I am hearing that we are -- potentially lapsed some funding that we could have probably used to fund that and, you know, I plan to save this -- a bit of this for a Members' statement later in the sitting, but I would just note that I attended a great session put on by health and social services staff at the Explorer Hotel -- maybe it was the Nova Hotel. I always get them mixed up. Sorry, it was the Chateau Nova. We went to that and it was all about, you know, removing systemic racism from our healthcare system and building an appropriate healthcare system for Indigenous people around the territory. And I noted that one of the things that they put in there was midwifery and the access to that and access to appropriate Indigenous care. And so I really appreciated them highlighting that but found that it didn't jive with how the department has been rolling out or not rolling out midwifery, and so I found that confusing. So just to get right back to the question, I would appreciate a follow-up on whether the funding lapsed, why it was lapsed. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the Member from Frame Lake. Please go ahead, Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the last couple of years we have continued to -- NTHSSA has continued to advertise over and over again for these positions; however, they've all -- they've gone unfilled so that's the reason why the positions that were -- you know, we had conversations with some of the surrounding communities. They were not interested in this type of a program at this time, some of our smaller Indigenous communities closer to. And so the important thing that we have to make sure is that when we are providing these services that, you know, we can't just tell communities that this is what they need to provide when we can't even staff these positions. So where we struggle with right now is that we are -- I believe even in Hay River and Fort Smith, the numbers of deliveries are going down. You know, the high risk of, you know, the maternal patients that, you know, they have to go into a different facility because -- you know, because of whatever their risk factors are. So, however, I would love to say I would love to put a midwife and a birthing centre in every single community, like, you know, the realistic thing is that we have to take a look at what our patients are. And many of our parents that are birthing nowadays -- and it's not all of them -- but are high risk. And so when we look at this area, we struggle to hire positions in our two current birthing facilities as it is. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. To the Member of Frame Lake, go ahead, please.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do want to just go back to the Minister's staff. There was a potential commitment on the table, but I haven't heard it specifically referred to. So can staff get back to me with details about the lapse in funding and why it lapsed. Thank you.
Thank you to the Member of Frame Lake. Please go ahead, ADM.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I've just been able to confirm that we did just get approval to carry over the funding, and we're currently proposing to use that funds for -- to explore traditional birth works. That's in process right now and just seeking federal support for that proposal, but we do have approval to carry over the funding. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, assistant deputy minister. The Member of Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's an exciting development so amazed at how fast we've been able to move on this issue in the short ten minutes I've had. So thank you for the detail there. I do appreciate that and will just say, I mean, I am going to continue to advocate for midwifery as I already said, so. I am going to leave it at that for now and maybe cede the floor to another Member and will let you know if I have some further questions. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the Member of Frame Lake. We shall move on, and the other Member on the list is out. To the Member of Monfwi, did you have any questions? I thought I seen your hands up earlier.
Are we still on revenue summary? When we receive money, it's good, you know. But I see here in the budget there are some -- I don't know if it's sunsetted because it didn't say, you know, agreement to work with -- I see there's quite a few agreements -- agreement was signed with other -- with Canada. So agreement to work together to improve health care for Canadians, there's nothing in the budget for upcoming fiscal year. There's quite a few of those too. Even with First Nation and Inuit Community Care Agreement, there's nothing allocated. So I just wanted to ask the Minister if the Minister can explain why. Thank you.
Thank you to the Member of Monfwi. Please go ahead, Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, as the federal budget was only announced late in November that before -- before that, we -- you know, and then we begin to work with them to renew these two program areas. And so as of right now, I believe that the funding hasn't changed in either one of those with the federal government. We just are in the process of negotiating it and once those are signed off, I believe they're not -- there's no change in them. We already know what they are; we just have to sign them off now. And then because they expire at the end of March 31st, the current agreements, we have to have the new agreements signed off before they could be added back into the budget, which would come at a later date. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the Minister. Member from Monfwi.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, improving health care, it's very important, especially in the small communities in the Northwest Territories. It's mostly in -- almost all the Indigenous communities across Canada, health care needs to be improved. It's good to know that there's going -- you know, that funding will be renewed, the agreement for the funding will be renewed.
The other one here, capital transfer, a Green and Inclusive Community Building Agreement, that budget is cut in half for the upcoming fiscal year. Can the Minister also explain why that this funding it's -- like going from $15 million to half of that. Thank you.
