Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to address an issue that is affecting a large portion of our health care professionals. The issue I am referring to, Mr. Speaker, is the recent announcement of a further recruitment and retention bonus of registered nurses in the Northwest Territories.

I agree wholeheartedly, Mr. Speaker, that we need to provide incentives to our allied health care professionals in order to provide adequate health care throughout the North. My point, Mr. Speaker, is that these incentives should be provided to all health care professionals. It is not secret, Mr. Speaker, that this government has spent an exorbitant amount of money on recruitment and retention of health care professionals.

Mr. Speaker, we have 26 licensed practical nurses, also known as LPNs, registered in Hay River. At last count, there are 38 in Yellowknife, 11 in Fort Smith, eight in Inuvik, four in Fort Simpson and one in Fort Resolution.

There was a study done in British Columbia, Mr. Speaker, that showed that LPNs are underused. There is a 60 percent overlap in skills between RNs and LPNs. If the LPNs were used to their full potential there would be no need for bed closures or staff concerns.

Mr. Speaker, morale is low amongst allied health care professionals in the North due to the physical shortages and staff recruitment problems. We as a government do not need to add this as an issue that has proven to be divisive to health care workers.

The Hay River Community Health Board, Mr. Speaker, has experienced severe shortages in staffing over the last few years. We were without a speech language pathologist for over a year-and-a-half.

Mr. Speaker, RNs and LPNs were not able to take vacations at their leisure due to staffing problems. All of this creates inherent stress for all health care providers.

Mr. Speaker, in 1999 a memorandum of understanding was signed by the UNW, Financial Management Board Secretariat, and Health and Social Services. This temporary nurse market supplement provided for a recruitment bonus of $5,000 for nurses upon hire. Mr. Speaker, this temporary supplement also provided for a retention bonus based on years of service payable to indeterminate front-line nurses as of September 1, 1999, and again on September 1, 2000.