Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, in the area of health and social services, we know it's a critical service in the Northwest Territories, especially in communities that don't have access to hospitals and doctors on a daily basis. Coming from a larger community, I have had to deal with individuals who have had to travel south and have some medical attention while they were south and I have heard some positive comments on the service that they can get here in the NWT compared to in the south when it comes to waiting for procedures and things of that nature. So it's been positive on that side of it, but we must recognize the efforts of the long-term nurses and doctors that we have in the system that have remained and stayed committed to the NWT. It's difficult and there are many options for them. As an example, Mr. Chairman, I went home for the weekend and heard that one of the nurses had taken a job in another country and is travelling to warmer climates and moving on. That's unfortunate because that means we are going to have to try to find somebody else to fill that position. On that specific area, Mr. Chairman, I would like to know from the Minister, as we go through this budget process and his department, in the area of recruitment and retention, that's an area that we've put a fair bit of money into over the years and I would like to know from the Minister how successful has that section been in bringing people to the North? Can he show and provide information on the number of new recruits that this section has helped bring to the NWT to the many health centres and hospitals that he has to provide services in? How have they worked with the boards in the regions to help with their needs?
It's very difficult, Mr. Chairman, when you talk to some of the nurses who are long-time committed in the communities and raised their families there. When they have to work beside a nurse who comes up on contract and spends either a month or two in the community and then travels back to their home in Alberta or wherever they come from to find out they are making, if it's not more, it's equal to the amount that the nurses are making here in the territories. Also, their housing seems to be taken care of, they get a couple of other allowances while they are up in our communities and that is the part that some of our long-time nurses have difficulty in dealing with. They are of the same profession, the same training level, but when these contract nurses come in, it seems to be a different standard that they have when it comes to being paid and what kind of benefits are available. How is the Minister's recruitment and retention section working? What is the total amount being spent in that section now and can he provide numbers as to the amount of recruits they have helped bring into the Territories? Thank you.