Thank you, Madam Chair. I thank Mr. Murray and Mr. St. Germaine for the clarification. I think I have it a little bit more straight right now. I am really happy to hear that Health and Social Services is still responsible for the recruitment and retention aspect of it. I would encourage you to go out there. I know it is a big piece of work.
The one thing that I don't want to see happen, and I don't know if it is because of the new setup with corporate human resource services, but it being a lot easier to call 1-800 nursing than it is to actually go out and hire a nurse and find somebody. These issues are more having to do with corporate human resource services and some of the issues that I have heard from people, like nurses moving to town that perhaps are married to RCMP, or teachers trying to find work with the GNWT and the government is bringing in nurses, obviously, on the agency basis and these nurses that are moving to town don't get any reply or don't seem to get anywhere with our human resources staff. They fax their resume in three or four times. No response. No answer. That is the kind of thing that I think we have to try to avoid if there are nurses here on the ground. We should be trying to get them on staff.
One other thing I wanted to mention. I know my time is out, but it is real quick. I was encouraged to see that the department had come up with some funding for respite care for families. The Minister should be commended on that. That is just a drop in the bucket. I think we really need to have a commitment on the government's behalf to address the concern that many families have there for respite care for their children or loved ones and families that need some extra help. Again, I want to say I am encouraged by that.
One other thing while I have the floor here. I am not on Social Programs so I don't get a chance to ask too many questions on health, so I like having the chance.
Funding for a third position in respiratory therapy, this is an issue I have raised with the Minister in the past. Before we used to have two and we only fund for two positions in
respiratory therapy, and it doesn't allow for the coverage that's needed and we've had a third person in there. It was on a temporary basis. It was a term position and we found enough funding to have that person stay on an additional six months, but I think it's really important that we try to identify some funding to get the third respiratory therapist on stream and in a permanent capacity. This person was another northern person who grew up here, in terms of recruiting and retaining, and we recruited him and we have to try to retain him. So I would like to see that funding try to be secured for respiratory therapy, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.