Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I had indicated, that was one of the aspects that had already, even prior to being specifically funded, been initiated. There are some human resources in that area right now but obviously we would like to see it developed more. This will give us an opportunity to accelerate that process and hopefully be able to provide more individuals in that area. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I recall the Med-Emerg Report, that $750,000 document, I believe many of the recommendations that it alluded to are only now being implemented. I mean, it did talk about professional development and such things as the Minister is proposing. Could the Minister maybe give us some indication as to why it would have taken so long for him to get to this, for his department to get this to a stage that he could present it to the FMBS for putting some funds toward this project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as all Members are aware, the Med-Emerg Report was a development of a strategic plan that is still ongoing. As it stands now, a lot of the strategies that were identified are into the implementation stages and into full consultation with some of the health care providers throughout the Northwest Territories. Quite frankly, one of the reasons why we did not accelerate, I guess, the aspect of the financing of the preliminary retention plan is that there are a lot of other needs out there as well, as you know, that the department has been actively pursuing and it is time management, quite frankly, of some of the resources that we have in addressing ongoing issues, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the question of retention and recruitment, does the Minister sincerely believe that, as we have taken away the housing, sold all the housing, that nurses in particular who lived in the communities, we have removed the travel benefits, we have reduced our salaries by six percent, does the Minister have some good feelings that what he is proposing in this latest initiative will go much further to improving a situation that is already taking place in some of the communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt it is recognized that, you know, the removal of the vacation travel assistance and the housing benefits has had an impact on all our employees throughout the government, nurses as well. I think that what is important to recognize is that some of the non-financial supports are outlined, as I have outlined today, in our recruitment and retention plan that will go a long ways towards assisting the health care professions. I think in the long run, some of the collective agreement process, hopefully, will alleviate some of the pressure in the long term. It is an issue that we are going to have to continue to keep on top of and continue to be promoting and working towards improving, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Rabesca.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct my question to the honourable Minister of Housing, Goo Arlooktoo, regarding the visit and recent public meeting they had in the community, that the community had confusion over the housing policy as it is. They wanted to know whether the Minister would be able to come to the community. I was asked to ask the Minister if he will be able to have time to come and meet with my constituency members from the Rae-Edzo community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister Responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I received an invitation to attend a public meeting in Rae-Edzo this month, but unfortunately in the time period that the meeting will be held, I will be out of town. What I have arranged for is to have senior officials from the Housing Corporation here in Yellowknife to be available to go to the public meeting. What we have also done is to have some meetings between our staff and the staff of the Rae-Edzo Housing Authority to see if we could alleviate some of the concerns and deal with some of the issues that are being raised immediately. Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Ootes.

The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not have all the details of the individuals involved. I certainly can get that information for the honourable Member. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, no, not at this time. What has been recognized is that there has been a low turnout in respect to services that have been provided in the current youth treatment program with Northern Addiction Services. There has been a high vacancy rate, quite frankly, and that is one of the reasons that led to this decision as well. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ootes.

Mr. Ng.