Madam Speaker, I have spoken about oral health on numerous occasions in this House. I have focused on the need of the GNWT to change the regulatory environment to provide preventative oral health in small communities and the cost of not focusing on preventative oral care. One of the key objectives of the GNWT's oral health strategy calls for establishing systemic supports for improved oral health services, including improving the regulatory environment. This is one area where I feel strongly that the GNWT must reconsider its legislative position. The Dental Auxiliaries Act stipulates that no dental hygienist shall practice dental hygiene except under the direction and control of a dentist.

Nurses work in our small remote communities without doctors; preventative healthcare professionals like chiropractors and massage therapists are free to work under professional accreditation using their professional discretion to provide services to NWT residents. Given the huge demand for oral health practitioners and the known fact that prevention saves future burdens on our healthcare system, the GNWT must commit to changing this legislative barrier.

In the Northwest Territories, 68 percent of dentists are men, whereas 86 percent of dental hygienists are women. Denying dental hygienists the opportunity to practice outside of the control of a dentist means that the government is inadvertently denying employment opportunities to an employment sector that is largely female. Today, all Canadian jurisdictions except for the three territories and PEI have legislation to support dental hygienists to be autonomous and self-regulated to varying levels. For example, some jurisdictions restrict the use of local anesthesia by dental hygienists.

Madam Speaker, I am told there are various reasons the GNWT does not allow experienced, certified, and registered dental hygienists to provide preventative oral care independent of a dentist. Given this government's commitment to ensure gender equity, I do not accept a simple no but rather see the value in working through the challenges defined by the department. Madam Speaker, the GNWT's oral health strategy is meant to be in place until the end of the 2021 fiscal year. I would appreciate the Minister's support for changing the legislation to allow dental hygienists to provide oral healthcare without a dentist's oversight. This is a win for both the final chapter of this strategy and the health and economic opportunity of the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Speaker.