Thank you. I would like to call the House back to order. When we took a recess about 30 minutes ago, Mr. O'Brien, the honourable Member for Kivalliviq was asking questions. The question was directed to Mr. Ng, Minister of Health and Social Services. Mr. O'Brien, your second supplementary if you wish to continue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, regarding health care/dental care in the Keewatin I would like to ask the Minister as to what is the status of the full-time dentists who have been promised for my community of Arviat and Baker Lake. It is my understanding that they are to be in place by the first of this month or rather, October 1st, can the Minister update me on the status of this situation?

Thank you, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I understand that a dentist had been in the communities and have another trip planned. I do not have the specific dates with me, but I will get that information and provide it to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. O'Brien.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister saying that he cannot confirm whether or not these dates are firm, that there will be dentists in the communities on October 1st?

Thank you, Minister for Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had indicated that I know a dentist had gone into the communities in his constituency and there are plans for another visit into that community. I do not have the dates in front of me, but once I confirm what those are, the information I have been given, then I will provide it to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As per my Member's statement, I would like to ask the Minister responsible for Health, Mr. Ng. Can the Minister inform this House if we as a government have a plan to hire and retain our dedicated nursing staff? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Minister for Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in answers to questions from other honourable Members of this House, we do recognize there is an issue in recruitment and retention of nursing professional staff. We are in the process of working with our partners and our boards, on the short-term and identifying where the deficiencies are and how we can shore up those services so there is minimal impact to the communities. On a longer term, there is a recruitment and retention plan that has been finalized for Financial Management Board submission now to try to dedicate some resources for a medium to longer scale plan in trying to promote northerners to enter into that profession. We feel in the long term that is where the sustainability of the nursing profession can come from, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, has the Minister met with the NWT Association of Nurses recently to discuss the concerns of our nurses? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. The honourable Minister, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have not recently met with the representatives of the NWT Registered Nurses' Association. I have in the past. I believe it was this past spring, late spring, that we did have a meeting in which they outlined their concerns in that area and that is why we started working with them on some of this recruitment and retention plan to try to address that issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Barnabas.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Has the Minister followed any of the recommendations in the Med-Emerg report about training and hiring of nurses and other medical professionals? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Med-Emerg report was a draft strategic plan that assisted us to facilitate development of a strategic plan of which I spoke of yesterday. That is out there now for a more extensive consultation and for some implementation of some of the strategies within that plan. Our focus in the nursing profession was working directly with the boards and the registered nurses' association in addressing their specific issues to deal with recruitment and retention of nurses, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I had commented on the fact that there does not appear to be a university or college entrance program that students can take when they are preparing to go to post-secondary institutions. I would like to ask the Minister what the territorial government is currently doing to try to prepare students when they are getting ready to go to a college or university? Thank you.

Thank you. The Minister for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.