Thank you, Madam...Mr. Speaker, pardon me.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, I want to comment today on the recent statement from the president of the NWT Medical Association, Dr. Perry Caplan: that there are now more doctors in the NWT, that they are staying longer and many doctors who come to the Northwest Territories are attracted by the challenge of practising a different kind of medicine here than in many other parts of the country or the world.

I would like today to pay tribute to one of those doctors, the longest serving physician in Nunavut and one of the longest serving physicians in the Northwest Territories, Dr. Paul Stubbings, who has been practising medicine in Iqaluit, in one capacity or another, including a term as chief of staff of the Baffin Regional Hospital, and the establishment of the first private medical clinic in Iqaluit, since September 12, 1978.

Dr. Caplan, in his statement, pointed out that practising medicine in the NWT is especially difficult and challenging and involves much more primary care than elsewhere. Being a permanent resident of the community, getting to know your patients very well means the patients get excellent service, but I think it can also mean additional pressures on the person delivering the service. It must be much more difficult when you are a doctor who is close to your patient.

This emphasis on community and preventive primary health care is what makes our health system unique and even the envy of the rest of Canada. Paul Stubbings is a long-time home owner in Iqaluit. He is a keen hunter and respected outdoorsman. Last year, he travelled by snowmobile to Cape Dorset from Iqaluit. He knows the people in the Baffin region and he understands them. He knows a lot about the Inuit and their culture and he has freely passed on this specialized and valuable knowledge to the many shorter-term physicians and health professionals with whom he has worked over the years.

Over the years, Paul Stubbings has been there for us for the emergencies, the call-outs in the middle of the night and he has also delivered an awful lot of babies, and even their babies, in Iqaluit. He and his family have made an enormous contribution to the community.

I rise on behalf of the people of Iqaluit and the Baffin region to say thank you to Dr. Stubbings. He is a modest, humble man. He doesn't seek recognition or high visibility, however, we do recognize him and his great contribution to health services in the region. Thank you.

---Applause