Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement, I talked about the importance of community consultation when it came to resource development or resource activities, and stated that it was imperative that four principles be recognized when dealing with community consultation: that consultation occurs early, that expectations are clarified at the outset, differences in language and culture are taken into account, and adequate resources and funding are in place.

I want to ask my question to the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. I would like to ask, can he tell me what the department's policy and process is for community consultation when it comes to resource development in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to know if the Minister could tell me, further to the policy, if there are any resources, be they financial or human, that are earmarked to assist communities. Are there any programs or identified funds for communities to take advantage of to deal with resource development, or is it ad hoc and the department gives it to whoever, first come, first serve, or whoever seems to need it the most? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my opinion, the funding for resource development for communities to access is kind of hit-and-miss, ad hoc. It is really a problem in the communities where we need expertise, resources and advice.

I would like to ask the Minister, would his department be willing to enter into standing agreements with forums that could do just that; provide research and do the advising to the communities, providing them with resource development information in a timely manner? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first point out that I am the Minister of Health and Social Services, and that means the entire system from the 60th parallel right up to Holman.

Mr. Speaker, I indicated to the press last week that we are in a competitive position. That we are in, it is my understanding, the top 10 percent when it comes to nurses. We are competitive, though not at the front of the class, when it comes to doctors.

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out at this time, as this House is sitting and we are in the capital, there are currently union agreements being ratified and there are negotiations with doctors underway. I am not in a position, nor do I think it is appropriate, to comment on issues relating to that particular process. It is clear that there is some unhappiness at Stanton but there is a ratification process underway as we speak, and I think we should respect that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Indeed, I too want to respect any bargaining positions and situations that are going on out there, but my question is really in relation to our ability to attract and retain professionals. I would perhaps pose another related question, and hopefully one that the Minister can respond to. This is in relation to the number of doctors that are funded in the Northwest Territories.

Currently, we fund 60 positions, about 51 of them are staffed. My question is, given that we could recruit to our fully funded allotment, is that number adequate to fulfill and sustain the multitude of needs that are on our doctors and our medical professionals today? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, clearly if we could attract and recruit additional line doctors that would fulfill our complement, that would be a singular accomplishment and it would help to ease the stress on the system.

Mr. Speaker, we are also in the process of recruiting nurses. We have some graduates coming through the system this year, approximately nine, I understand. There are nearly 30 in the final year for next year. We are also actively recruiting in all of the other allied health professions.

Mr. Speaker, if we could fill those positions that we have funded, it would be, in my opinion, a singular achievement and would help relieve the stress and burden on the system. Are 60 doctors adequate? The Medical Association would say that we need possibly another 20 to 30. That is a number that is very high, in our opinion. We are close on a comparative basis and our initial goal is to just try and get our full complement staffed, which we have already funded. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In relation to the overall cost and budget area, there are discussions underway with our partners in the Capital Health Authority in the Edmonton area. We rely on this organization to supply a number of the specialty services that we cannot fulfill here. Can the Minister advise on the status of those negotiations and our continuing reliability on the Capital Health Authority? Thank you.