Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, May 26th, 2025, I will move the following motion:
Now therefore I move, seconded by the Member for Yellowknife Centre, that the Government of the Northwest Territories take immediate action to improve the recruitment and retention of all doctors, nurses, and allied health care workers through higher wages, contract flexibility, and enhanced benefits;
And further, that the Government of the Northwest Territories work with the Public Service Alliance of Canada and Union of Northern Workers to develop an inclusive bargaining structure for all healthcare workers to give the frontline a real voice in negotiations;
And furthermore, that the Government of the Northwest Territories undertake the following actions:
- Establish a working group composed of Members of the Executive Council and Regular Members of the Legislative Assembly to oversee primary care reform and health system sustainability initiatives;
- Move to interest-based negotiations with the Northwest Territories Medical Association before the fall of 2025;
- Publicly release the details of the new locum contract for emergency department doctors;
- Improve flexibility in locum contracts to assist doctor and nurse retention and recruitment;
- Phase out agency nurses with a three-year plan that improves working conditions for frontline staff with improved professional development and compensation;
- Enhance financial incentives for shift work for doctors, nurses, and allied health care workers;
- Implement minimum staff-to-patient ratios at all Northwest Territories hospitals;
- Implement practitioner-led innovation to ensure continuous improvement on the frontline;
- Negotiate physician license-sharing between Nunavut and Alberta to eliminate red tape preventing entry of new physicians into the Northwest Territories healthcare system;
- Prioritize pan-national physician licensing in the Government of the Northwest Territories federal engagement strategy;
- Fast-track development of new policies on emerging medical technologies, such as AI, e-consults and virtual care;
- Expand the role of nurse practitioners in all regions of the Northwest Territories to improve access to health care and decrease costs; and,
- Modernize auxiliary care and establish a licensing body for paramedics;
And furthermore, that the Government of the Northwest Territories release an action plan to implement the aforementioned actions that is time bound and fully costed by the fall of 2025;
And furthermore, that the Government of the Northwest Territories respond to this motion in 120 days.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.