Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we have provided numbers. You know, the estimate is what is in the budget, and we've said that it's 1.3 like, and it's in the letter that I sent today as well, that the summary of the expected increased costs is $2.5 million, less the estimated copayments by residents of $1.2 million. That leaves a shortfall of $1.3 million. So thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we do in the previous section, we have home and community care as part of our that is where we would have supports for families. And I know that in a perfect world, we would have 24hour care in all our communities to be able to provide home support work, home care. And that's not the reality. We're slowly implementing it now. Up until a few years ago, it was only Monday to Friday, you know, and very seldom in the evenings. So we know that is something that we've heard loud and clear. And, I mean, myself as an MLA, I also raised those issues. And we're...

Yes, thank you, that's correct.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don't I don't have the level of detail of what the services are being provided in all of the Dehcho communities, but we can look at what services aren't provided right now and get back to the Member. And if there are concerns or, you know, as we're rolling out more and more communities that have the needs and if there is a needs assessment that needs to be done in those communities, you know, I like I said, I don't have that kind of level of detail here. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yes, Mr. Chair, that is something that we and the department has been doing lots of work in this area. And, you know, I hear what the Member is saying, and I agree that there right now as we stand, though, there aren't a lot of programs that are up and ready to access in the Northwest Territories and so what we're hoping is that within this government, and that's why it's in the business plan, that we can collaborate with those Indigenous governments that have programs. And we know that we're spending anywhere from $200 to $650 a day outside the territory on services for individuals. And...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So going back to the COVID endemic funding. So when that sunseted, we also -- and I announced -- remember, I did that long list of all of the different funding pots that we just recently -- so the shared health priorities that we got funding from Health Canada for activities under the new bilateral agreement and the Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians, which includes family health services, health workforce and mental wellness, substance abuse, that was an increase of $4.382 million to this budget. There was an increase with the collective agreement. So...

Thank you. This budget has $1.417 million, and that would be for the two THARP programs. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, every resident who travels outside the territories on their own -- you know, if you were to end up in the hospital and get sick or anything, that is not the responsibility of the GNWT to bring them back. There is information on the NTHSSA website for travelling out -- information for travelling outside the Northwest Territories. It does speak to even travelling within Canada, that people should -- you know, if they are travelling that they should make sure that they look at what insurances that they have, if they need additional insurances when travelling...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. You know, for myself, I was a labour and delivery nurse, so I don't understand why nobody wants to be a labour and delivery nurse, so. But, you know, for the most part I know even when I was a manager trying to convince some nurses to go and train to be a labour and delivery nurse -- it's a specialty. It's just like any other thing people want to do. And, you know, and I think for a long time here once we -- one of the issues that we know that within the current obstetrics where we -- I mean, it's not a secret that there was many vacancies over COVID, and then that's when...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, under this area, what the -- the bigger piece of the deduction was the COVID endemic funding. So the sunsetting of this funding for the transition from COVID-19 to pandemic to endemic. So that's what a lot of that money is that's changed. So that's gone. There is the labour market supplement for NTHSSA and TCSA, sunsetting of the one-time funding approved to support recruitment and retention of health care professionals, and the labour market supplement HRHSSA sunset of one-time funding approved to support recruitment and retention of health professionals...