Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to welcome the Assembly of First Nations legal counsel, Ken Young, to the House, and also our national vice-chief of the Assembly of First Nations and national chief of the Dene Nation, Bill Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize the chief from Inuvik, Herb Blake, and also the president of the Gwich’in Development Corporation. Welcome, Herb.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Bill Erasmus, resident and constituent of Weledeh.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, replies to budget address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of standing and special committees. Item 14, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 15, tabling of documents. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled NWT Hospital Satisfaction Report and Community Health Services Satisfaction Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to table the Order-in-Council which was passed in 1960 by, I think, Prime Minister Diefenbaker.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 16, notices of motion. Item 17, notices of motion for reading of bills. Item 18, motions. Item 19, first reading of bills. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Lafferty.

Bill 10, Exemptions Act, has had first reading.

---Carried

Item 20, second reading of bills. Item 21, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Bill 2, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2009-2010; Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act; Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Summary Conviction Procedures Act; Tabled Document 62-16(4), NWT Main Estimates, 2010-2011; and Minister’ Statement 47-16(4), Transfer of the Public Housing Rental Subsidy, with Mr. Bromley in the chair.

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. We have before us for consideration today: Bill 2, Bill 4, Bill 7, Tabled Document 62-16(4) and Minister’s Statement 47-16(4). What is the wish of committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee would like to continue on with the detail of the Department of Health and Social Services for the operations main estimates and, time permitting, we could go on to Education opening comments. But I think that we would like to probably have a fairly short day today, so that would give us less than two hours to finish Health. So we’ll see how it goes. I don’t want to get Education officials over here for nothing. So for now, Health. Let’s just say Health. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. That was that we continue with the Department of Health, likely just Health and Social Services today. Before we do that, we’ll take a break.

---SHORT RECESS

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order and ask if the Minister will be bringing in witnesses.

Yes, please, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Minister. I’ll ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort the witnesses in. Committee agree?

Thank you, colleagues. We are continuing, obviously, with the Department of Health and Social Services. I’d like to call on the Minister to introduce her witnesses. Minister Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To my left is deputy minister of Health and Social Services, Paddy Meade; and, to my right is director of finance, Mr. Derek Elkin. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. We are now open for comments. We are on page 8-17, activity summary, program delivery support, operations expenditure summary, $31.936 million. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the area I want to focus on is on the recruitment and retention programs. As we know, it’s been noted that the issue of doctors in the Northwest Territories into our regions is very tough right now in terms of having good doctors coming to our regions and there are vacancies in the health care system. I want to ask in terms of have we seen a slight increase in terms of securing some doctors in our communities and some of the nurses in our health boards. I’m not just speaking for my own region but for the North in general. Thank you, Mr. Chair.