Madam Speaker, the department attempts to work with the health boards to see what is the best venue that would provide the programs and services for the health needs of the individual regions and communities.

As for the retention of physicians, particularly for the Inuvik region, on a number of occasions they have asked us to help them get special commendation, so they could bring in doctors from overseas and then to sponsor physicians from the appropriate region compatible to Canada in terms of the requirements. There have been a number of people established at the Inuvik clinic, who have been supported by this government. We see if these physicians are more inclined to live in the remoter regions of Canada. The problem with a lot of physicians educated in Canada is they prefer the more modern, urban communities where they have all the amenities of life they have become accustomed to. It doesn't matter whether it is a physician or a nurse practitioner for the health centres or a teacher or any group of people we recruit from southern Canada. They are accustomed to certain things and many of them don't have a long-term commitment to the north, although when they do come here, it is an experience for them. I believe in the long term, our special emphasis on education, training and employment would see us having our own nurses, doctors and teachers who are used to the environment of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Speaker.