Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The National Dentistry Examining Board notified the department that effective December 31, 1999, foreign trained dentists could no longer write their national exams to become certified. This exam was a requirement under our legislation, the Dental Profession Act, and was amended to omit the licensing of part 3, foreign trained dentists.

Members of the Northwest Territories Dental Association feel that the change to the act is contributing to their inability to recruit dentists. Without the assistance of a national certifying body such as the National Dentistry Examining Board, the GNWT does not have the expertise or the capacity to assess the credentials of foreign trained dentists.

Foreign trained dentists can still be licensed upon completion of a qualifying program. We realize that the clinics in the Northwest Territories rely heavily on foreign recruitment in order to get dentists. I think the North may have been somewhat of an anomaly as well in that it was an entry point for foreign dentists, because I do not think this program was available in any southern jurisdiction. It is unfortunate that this examining board has ceased to provide this service.

I am not aware that the GNWT would have had the ability to step in and fill that gap. Thank you.