Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am familiar with the case the Member refers to, with respect to an applicant from Fort Smith who, as the Member says, has worked for the department for a number of years, is an indigenous aboriginal Northerner and precisely the kind of candidate we want to see expand on their training. People who will be investing their careers in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, the funding that is available for nurses and professionals on education leave to enhance their skills does not come out of the recruitment and retention funding Mr. Miltenberger referred to as having $800,000 lapsed. It comes out of the department's O and M, and there is a set, prescribed amount of money available under this program.
Unfortunately, for this particular applicant, the monies had already been committed for other candidates. I want to assure the Member that there are a number of other sources of resources for someone like this to return to school. We would be happy to work with Mr. Miltenberger's constituent to make them aware of these other avenues of resources. Thank you.