Thank you. Mr. Handley.

A good chunk of money has been spent. If the Member wants the exact amount, we can get that. If we look at the items in the professional development fund for nurses, that money has been allocated already to the nurses. The health and social services bursary program, that money has either been committed or been spent, the same for both northern and southern students. The staffing mix and job evaluation, I assume most of that has been spent or committed. So, Mr. Chairman, I don't expect there is much free money in this one because this isn't dealing with direct recruitment, it's dealing with how to make our nursing and social work staff much happier people, who stay with us longer. So a lot of that money has been spent or committed, but I don't know the exact amount, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I said earlier, I support all the initiatives. You don't have to justify the initiatives to me. My question is simply whether or not there was a need to do it as a special warrant or if we could come forward in a different manner. The Minister has offered to provide details and I look forward to receiving that information. I had expected that it might not all be necessary because of the internal reallocation of the total $1.6 million being spent, $1.2 million is being reallocated from within. So I am looking forward to the Minister providing me the information on how much of it has been spent to date. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The Chair will recognize Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a question on that item as well, the $701,000 under professional development in particular. I wonder if the Minister could provide more detail on what is entailed on this $701,000 expenditure. What has that money been spent on? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, the $701,000 was meant to enrich an employee development program. So that entitles them to one professional development opportunity per year for up to five days. We get financial assistance at $2,000 for professionals in Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith and $3,000 per employee for health professionals living in all the other communities. So that money has been committed to the health professionals who are presently in the system.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It sounds to me like this is an area where this initiative is benefiting, the retention part of recruitment and retention of health care professionals. I was talking about nurses in particular lately and I made this point in a Member's statement yesterday, I believe. The government's recruitment and retention strategy is inadequate. It may deal with a recruitment element of that strategy by way of bursary programs and other things that are indicated here. Other than the professional development aspect of it and making it possible for the health care professionals to take advantage of some programs that would enhance their skills or their expertise in a certain area, there is not a whole lot there to retain our health care professionals.

As I said in my Member's statement, this is not playing out very well. I know the Minister of Health is travelling, but I know that he will be advised of concerns that I am expressing here. That is that we have to do more to retain staff that we already have. What I am hearing is what's happening with the new recruits, especially nurses who are going into the system, is that they are replacing older and more experienced nurses. I have already stated that it's a good policy to recruit new nurses and to guarantee them a job, but I think the Minister has to be concerned if fresh graduates out of nursing programs are replacing the experienced nurses because then there is a lack of mentoring and training that is required and can only be provided by the experienced nurses.

I think the Minister has to be reminded again that all nurses are saying that there has to be an equitable mix between the experienced and inexperienced in any nursing environment so that proper treatment can be provided. I really think that the Minister has to look at what incentives he can provide to experienced nurses so that we do not lose them to southern markets or somewhere else. That is one thing, because we have to retain the nurses as well as recruit them and the Minister should really look at providing additional incentives for experienced nurses so that they will stay and that they are compensated for providing the mentorship and the training that the Minister is asking those nurses to take on.

The Minister and the government say they are going to guarantee jobs for new graduates. The Minister has to follow that up. He has the duty to follow that up with adequate compensation for those that he is expecting to train these new graduates.

I just want to reiterate... and that this is a really crucial element, and I realize that the Minister is addressing some aspects of this by reclassifying nurses... but I tell you, the information I am getting is that the experienced nurses have not seen a real increase in their pay and it is hardly comparable to what is being offered down south. Unless we fix that we are going to continue to lose experienced nurses and that would be a real loss to our health care system and a loss to the new graduates who need the mentorship and training by these experienced nurses.

I just want to reiterate that and ask the Minister of Finance to pass that message on to the Minister of Health and Social Services and I will be after the Minister of Health and Social Services to come back in June or in the interim to make sure that he addresses that gap. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Minister Handley.

Mr. Chairman, I am sure the Minister of Health and Social Services will get the message. I will mention it to him, as well. I am sure it will be answered.

The issues that Ms. Lee is referring to go beyond this particular item to a bigger issue of total compensation and so on. I think a lot of this is working. In the last week I have talked to two nurses who have expressed appreciation for the professional development fund. They like it. They find it is useful. Their biggest concern now is trying to figure out what is going to be the best way of using that money.

In terms of the return of service money for northern and southern students, the bursary program, it is too early to tell whether that is successful yet. We will find out, I guess, and see how many actually come to the Territories and stay and work with our system.

I might say on the mentorship issue that each time we bring in young, inexperienced nurses there is an opportunity for a more experienced person to earn up to $10,000 for mentoring the less experienced people. We have built that in here as well, Mr. Chairman. This is not going to resolve all the problems, but I think in terms of its purpose in supporting professional development and encouraging new recruits to stay and work in the Territories, this is what will prove successful. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Handley. We are on page 11, Health and Social Services, program delivery support, $418,600. That is a special warrant.

Agreed. Health and Social Services, not previously authorized, $381,000.

Community health programs, not previously authorized, negative $248,000.

Total department, special warrants, $418,600.

Not previously authorized, $27,000.

Page 12, Justice, operations expenditures, community justice and corrections, not previously authorized, negative $305,000.