Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the health care worker I spoke to about the recent round of engagements within the system the Minister's undertaking and the authority's undertaking said, quote: We don't need more opportunities for feedback. The reason health care workers don't feel heard is because there's never any real action or bold moves on the feedback we've given for years.

So I'd like to ask the Minister of health today, in these town halls that she's having with health care workers what is she hearing? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And that number is $200 billion over ten years. So, you know, I appreciate that it's going to be divvied out in different places. We need to have a resolution to this. We need to find a way to retain workers. This is a blockage that's been identified to me. Will the Minister at least commit to doing an exploration of this, working with staff, working with the whole team, and coming up with a solution that's meaningful, impactful, and will actually solve this problem instead of just more listening exercises? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, is the Minister willing to look at the length of contracts? A six-month contract means the worker's going to stay in the Northwest Territories for at least a longer time commitment. We're talking about contracts that are two days long, that are a week long. Will the Minister commit to stopping that practice and ensuring contracts are long enough to keep people in the North and keep money in the North and keep continuity of care in the North? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the workers are looking for bold action. They're looking for a clear commitment. So what is the Minister's idea for how to solve this problem? What's the clear commitment and deliverable that she can give hope to workers that things are going to get better and improve? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is the governing council joining the Minister on these listening sessions? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later today my honourable friend from Yellowknife Centre will be tabling a survey authored collaboratively between us about health care experience in the Northwest Territories. This work expands on the joint town hall that we undertook in the summer attended by over a hundred people. I invite the House and the public to read the survey and note that while 59 percent of respondents rated their quality of care as excellent, only 25 percent were satisfied with their overall health care experience. Here's what some of them had to say, quote:

Stop saying it's a staffing issue...

Mr. Speaker, when paramedics are on the job, every second counts because in emergency situations their work can be the deciding factor between a patient's life or death. They stand vigilantly on call to provide vital care and immediate transportation to medical facilities when the need arises, often in complex and traumatic circumstances both in the heart of our communities or on far away remote highways.

Unfortunately, here in the North their job is only made more difficult due to the vast geography of our territory and the limited resources available in the small communities that are spread...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll be brief. The supplementary estimates contain, amongst other things, increases due to the last round of collective bargaining and items that were negotiated by Members on this side of the House with Members of that side of the House to improve services to our constituents. So largely this is something I welcome. It is part of our process to realign spending priorities based on needs and the things in here are the result of -- many of the spending in here is a result of the hard work of all Members of this House to find compromise and better reflect the needs of...

Thank you. Would it be safe to characterize this project as kind of a -- at least from a funding perspective, as like a done deal, you know, in terms of design and delivery, so we're not able to pump the brakes on it and retain the funding? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So for the funding, this $3 million change here, can the Minister just speak to the -- clarify if the funding is federal funding or territorial funding? Like, the source of the funding I guess is what I'm looking for. Thank you.