Thank you, Minister. Do you wish to bring witnesses into the House?

[Microphone turned off].

Sergeant of Arms will escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Would the Minister please introduce her witnesses?

Madam Chair, with me, Deputy Minister Bruce Cooper and Director of Finance Jeannie Mathison.

All right. Thank you. Committee, we have agreed to forego the general comments. We will proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document. We will defer the departmental summary review, the estimates, and the review of the estimates by activity summary, beginning with administrative and support services, starting on page 166, with information items up to 169. Questions? Comments? Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess just a general question if the Minister could update me of how and any progress we have made on telehealth and kind of what we can see to continue out of the progress we have made due to COVID-19 and if that is expected to be found in this budget or whether there is a supplemental appropriation for a more digital healthcare system coming. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Madam Chair, the federal government announced some money for virtual care. The department is now looking into accessing. If and where possible it's our best interest to utilize federal funding versus using money out of our budget. Yet, we do recognize the importance of virtual care. We have been practicing it for the last two months. It's important that we continue to do so.

Thank you, Minister. Are there any further comments or questions to this section? Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I notice on page 168, on contributions, that there was some funding provided to the nurses association of the NWT and Nunavut a few years back. I seem to recall that there was going to be some effort towards having one regulatory framework for nursing professionals. Can I just get a bit of an update as to where that work is at? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

I am going to bring this over to my deputy minister, Mr. Cooper, to answer. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Mr. Cooper.

Thank you Mr. Cooper. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. That is good to hear and understandably delayed probably as a result of COVID. Is this, dare I say, some sort of almost a co-drafting process, where the associations are involved in drafting the legislation or giving feedback, having an opportunity to review drafts or whatever? How is that working? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. While we are on the topic, I will get Mr. Cooper to answer that, as well.

Thank you, Minister. Mr. Cooper.

Thank you, Mr. Cooper. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. That is good to hear. I think that is the way that we need to approach this. I am glad to hear that that is being done. This is, I guess, the place where health and social services authorities' funding flows through. I have raised this in the past. I am wondering if we are making any progress on some sort of consolidated reporting of features of our integrated system now. The health transformation system was supposed to allow for reporting of things like wait times for key medical services. Look, I understand folks are working flat out in terms of pandemic preparation and all of that, but have we started to make any progress in this consolidated reporting of things like wait times for different kinds of medical services so that the public understands where focus might need to be better made or even us as legislators? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Madam Chair, in terms of increasing information systems, one of the things the department has done just recently is to incorporate our financial system, SAM. This is something that we are looking at in terms of putting all our systems into one place. We have done it with our financial. We recognize that there is need for improvements in terms of putting all our other systems together. That is something that the department is looking into.