Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to discuss the nursing shortage in the NWT and how our hiring process is working against us. As someone who is very familiar with the hiring practice in this area as well as the difficulty in staffing healthcare professionals, we need to look at how we do things. In my experience, it's more beneficial to be hired as a locum than it is to sign on as indeterminate. There are also times where staff choose not to extend terms or do not want to take on an indeterminate position, and instead choose to become a locum or work short-term casual contracts because they get more perks. As a locum, you can pick and choose when you want to work in the NWT, as we are always short. You get your flights paid back and forth from your home residence anywhere in Canada to your place of work. When signing on as a locum, you are guaranteed full-time shifts during your contracts, as well as overtime. You are entitled to the Northern Residency Allowance on top of your hourly pay, and evening and weekend shift premiums, if you are a shift worker, just as terms and indeterminate employees.
From my understanding, recent changes to the collective agreement made terms no more than 24 months, at which you then have to become indeterminate, because you lose your removal allowance. This previously used to be up to 48 months. Why would we not want them to stay longer?
Then there are the job sharers, where they can be six weeks, eight weeks, some might be longer, who work half-time in term or indeterminate positions, who also get their flights to and from their home covered. When in Inuvik, they get residence and put in hotels and pay a lower-market rent. Terms have to rent privately and remain in the community, just as indeterminates would. The only difference is they get 100 percent removal when they fulfil their contract. The staff who sign on indeterminate pay market rent. They don't get any travel. They often are stressed when it comes time for summer/spring break, Christmas break; that's because they are essential staff. They may not get vacation if short-staffed, or at least what they wish for, for vacation, if casuals cannot be confirmed.
Mr. Speaker, there needs to be a better way to have indeterminate staffing more appealing, as this would not only provide a stable workforce, but a better continuum of care for our residents. I will have questions for the Minister of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.