Debates of Feb. 6th, 2026

Thank you to the Member of Yellowknife North. Please go ahead, Minister.

Yes, I am going to turn that over to the deputy minister because the deputy minister at his level is working -- that is where I think, with him, and the other -- the departments that are having these conversations. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Please go ahead, deputy minister.

Thank you, deputy minister. Member of Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So when are those new strategies or approaches going to be made public? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the Member. Please go ahead, Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, a lot of the -- so within this budget, it also takes in account some of the funding that they get for their recruitment and retention. And the way that health and social services, NTHSSA, and the authorities, build their budgets is once the -- like, right now, they're tentatively building their budgets but we don't see those budgets until after the budget is approved, and then they are able to finalize the money that's being allocated to them to put their -- to be able to allocate where their priorities are. And so this is -- as we said, the draft of their work plan is on going but the draft of the work plan is not going to be released publicly until that we can review it and we know what kind of funding that the health authorities will be getting and that we know -- ensure that they're dedicating funding to some of these areas within the draft work plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Chair. I'll settle for that.

Or Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. To the Member of Yellowknife North.

Okay. Maybe just with some limited time left, I know that one sort of promising avenue for trying to get more retention of healthcare workers is to hire more local students and recent graduates, people who grew up here, people who are from here, people who are already based here and have ties to this community. So how does HSS or the health authorities connect with, say, Aurora College graduates of the nursing program or local candidates for various health care professions to try to ensure that we have more local people taking these jobs? I do see in the business plan that 49 percent of new hires, at least in 2023-2024, were already NWT residents. I don't know how many sort of grew up here or for how long. But maybe the Minister can explain what efforts there are to try to recruit, you know, local people and recent graduates. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the Member of Yellowknife North. Please go ahead, Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we have been very -- and I had this conversation with the NTHSSA just this week, and that is -- you know, it's -- the thing with them is that they're already starting to look at and reach out to the Aurora College graduates that are coming out too see where they want to work, how it -- like, and which communities they want to work in when they're graduating this year. Last year, I think they found places for every graduate that wanted to work in the territory, whether it was the nursing, the personal support worker. I believe the LPN programs that have come in the past, they're all -- anyone who wants to come -- that's coming out of those programs is being provided with jobs. This year, there is going to be another large nursing graduating class so I was under the understanding that they are -- they feel that they can provide spaces for all of them in our system as well. But going forward, one of the struggles that they do have is that more and more that we're getting new grads into the system that we need to provide more mentorship. So that's why some of the pieces around the retention is working that into that draft plan, is building more mentorship within our own system so that those staff that are there -- you know, if they need to be an obstetric nurse, that they're being mentored into that area. If they need an OR nurse, we're mentoring them to those specialties, and then being able to provide them -- and it's also with the ones that are going south. Because we have the health bursary, the NTHSSA has said that now that they have the health bursary, they're able to track better all of the healthcare workers that are -- like, that are -- the students that are in health care fields that are out in school, they're able to reconnect with them to see whether they're coming back, when they're coming back, stuff like that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the Minister. And I just wanted to add to that and help clarify the Member from Yellowknife North's comment on how you do that.

One of the glad ceremonies I like attending is the nursing graduation ceremonies, and both the Minister and the Minister of ECE attended the nursing graduation ceremony that Aurora College had last June across the street here. So we are, as a government, inspiring our graduates to continue on.

In the recognition of time here, I am going to say what is the wishes of committee? Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move the chair rise and report progress.

Thank you to the Member. The motion is in order. The motion is non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

I will now rise and report progress. Mahsi. Oh sorry. I have to -- I am slipping; it must be Friday. Yes, just one second.

Thank you to the Minister and thank you to the witnesses there for appearing before us on this Friday, a long day. Sergeant-at-arms, please escort the witness from the chamber. Mahsi.

---SHORT RECESS

Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 448-20(1). And, Mr. Speaker, I move that the Report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Mahsi.

Can I have a seconder, please. Let's go with that person that doesn't like to vote for it, Member from Yellowknife Centre. All those in favour? Opposed? Motion carried. Unanimous.

---Carried

Report of committee of the whole. Third reading of bills. Orders of the day, Mr. Clerk.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. This House stands adjourned until Monday, February 9th, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.

---ADJOURNMENT

The House adjourned at 1:57 p.m.