Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the health care field offers northerners many opportunities for employment. Well-trained northern health care workers can make it easier for patients to receive treatment in a manner more reflective of their culture and language. Northern aboriginal health care specialists can reduce our staff recruitment costs and provide positive role models for our young people.
To develop this potential, my department has collaborated with Aurora College, Health and Social Services and the NWT Registered Nurses' Association to establish the northern nursing program.
Not only was a legislative amendment needed to ensure registered nurses could be graduated, but approval was needed from the Nurses' Association itself to ensure the program met all academic requirements and national standards. After an evaluation of the staff and curriculum, health care professionals said the program ranked with any in the country and could serve as a model of excellence for other programs. They praised the quality of the staff and the blend of traditional medicine and modern medical practices in the curriculum.
Mr. Speaker, the Nursing Association's board of directors has recently recommended that the northern nursing program be granted approval for two years. It will be reviewed again at that point and regularly in the future, so it can maintain its status.
I want to congratulate all partners who participated in the development of the northern nursing program. I would like to give special recognition to the staff at the Yellowknife campus of Aurora College. They have created a nursing program with high professional standards and one which will ensure a supply of well-trained northern nurses for the future.
--- Applause