Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final short supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. I’m

wondering if the Minister would commit to sitting down again — similar to what I asked the Minister of Health and Social Services earlier — with the Standing Committee on Social Programs and Regular Members on this side of the House to show us who is going to be delivering the programs at North Slave Correctional Centre and what their credentials are for delivering the program.

We did go before the committee on Main Estimates and also before the Committee of the Whole, and we’ll be more than happy to go before the Social Programs Committee. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr.

Lafferty. The

honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Catching up, I’d like to ask some questions relative to my Member’s statement earlier this afternoon to the Minister of Health and Social Services on the midwifery program.

My understanding is that this is a relatively new program that became possible with the Midwifery Profession Act in 2003. I just wonder if the Minister could comment on what exactly the program is, what it entails, and where we stand with it.

Thank you, Mr.

Bromley. The

honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Certainly, we broke ground with the previous Minister of Health and Social Services when he worked hard to pass this legislation. We have a very successful midwifery program in Fort Smith, and I am aware that we have one midwife in Yellowknife.

It is my hope and plan that we could extend that program, and the consolidated primary clinic that is being planned for Yellowknife is an essential part of the ability to extend this program, because it does

need space and the capacity to grow. I know that in my visit to Hay River, the authorities there have shown some interest in that too. So it is a program that I’m looking to expand in the time to come.

Thanks to the Minister for those comments. That’s very encouraging. My constituents will be happy to hear that information.

Has the Minister’s department been interacting with the public on this issue? Are they aware of the interest in additional and expanded opportunities in that program?

I don’t have specific information that will give stats on that, but certainly it’s one that we as a government need to look to doing more of, because as I have stated here many times, we need to reduce our medical services and clinical services. The use of midwives allows us to get the prenatal, postnatal and birthing process away from the clinical and medical facility, where it’s been over-medicalized, and move it into primary care services wherever possible. Obviously, the midwives work very closely with a doctor and other health care professionals, but it’s definitely a different way — going back to the basics, so to speak — on the birthing part of our normal lifecycle. It’s one that I support and one that I support to do more of, going forward.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The time for question period has expired; however, I will allow the Member a supplementary question. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you again to the Minister for those remarks. It certainly is a quality-of-life issue for many people and a great way to go. I appreciate that support.

Is the department also considering partnering with southern institutions or determining whether there’s a particular role for practicums in the Northwest Territories, a way of engaging students of midwifery in the North so that they can stay here and participate in an expanded program?

Absolutely, and I can tell you that the program in Fort Smith is one that is being looked at by other jurisdictions, especially in rural community settings. They go to lots of different places to do presentations on how this can be done.

I believe there was a plan to expand the midwife program in Yellowknife, but literally, I saw the facility. These clinics that they have now couldn’t do it. So of course, we will use students coming up or nurses who want to be midwives, in that aspect.

Perhaps I could make a commitment to do more detailed information, put it together, and offer it to

the Member for further discussion. But it’s one that I’m committed to.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to the opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Bill 10 has had first reading.

Motion carried; Bill 10, An Act to Amend the

Pharmacy Act, read a first time.

Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration of Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, with Bill 8, Tabled Document 37-16(2), Committee Report 6-16(2), Committee Report 7-16(2).

By the authority given me as the Speaker by Motion 10-16(2), I hereby authorize the House to sit beyond the daily hours of adjournment to consider the business before the House, with Mr. Bromley in the chair.

I would like to call the Committee of the Whole to order for consideration of bills and other matters.

What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee today would like to continue on the Main Estimates for ’08–09 with the NWT Housing Corporation, then move on to the Department of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Does the committee agree?

The committee is agreed. A break has been called.

The Committee of the Whole took a short

recess.

Okay, I’d like to call the Committee of the Whole to order. Committee is agreed that we’ll continue with the NWT Housing Corporation.

I’d like to ask the Minister if he wishes to call witnesses. Mr. Miltenberger.

Yes, Mr. Chair.