Kieron Testart

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...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government's pumping billions of dollars into health care right now. This is not -- this problem is a northern problem. So what's the Minister's northern solution? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, right now we have a system that competes with itself as I said. This is not coming from my analysis; this is coming from health care workers, doctors, nurses, allied health care professionals. Why has the choice been made to prioritize locum contracts, temporary workers, and agency nurses over full-time staff? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm looking for accountability as well, and I hear this refrain that it's the governance council that's in charge; it's not the Minister, there's only so much she can do. So why are these -- why are we not bringing the governing council to listen to these meetings? It doesn't matter if it's Stanton. They're responsible for the entire thing. The individual wellness council's, fine. But the overall management of the system and oversight of the system is one body so why are they not being involved with this effort?

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. Chair. Nothing further.

Thank you. So there is some concern about the -- or the -- whether or not it will meet the needs of the current community. Is there a plan to speak to -- even though this is a financial carryover and things like that, had those concerns been brought forward and are they being addressed before the facility is finalized or construction continues and ultimately the facility is put into use? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm starting to see why the largest ever surplus has disappeared. Why are we not following guide -- or we only have guidelines but not controls. So how is the Minister going to ensure these guidelines are met? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the strategy calls for forced growth and new initiatives to be held to $10 million per budget -- per annual budget. Can the Minister tell us how she did in regards to holding it to $10 million the last budget, the last O and M budget? Thank you.