Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the public administrator for NTHSSA's work plan, it tasks him to, quote, "work with NTHSSA and DHSS to find ways to increase and reduce expenditures within the health and social services system, including supporting the establishment of income assessment and fee collection structures as applicable."

I've had two people reach out to me today, constituents, who are concerned what this actually means. So can the Minister clarify, are we looking to recoup the costs of the health system on the back of patients and people who need health care in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a real privilege to have a former Premier in the chamber today, and it's a real privilege to represent that former Premier as my constituent in Range Lake. So thank you, Caroline Cochrane, for being here today with your partner Rory. It's always great to have eyes in this the gallery, and you are definitely a VIP. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, while healthcare administration is a territorial responsibility, the federal government still plays an important role in ensuring all provinces and territories comply with the Canada Health Act, an Act which guarantees universal, comprehensive health care to all Canadians based solely on their needs and not their financial abilities. While not an outright guarantee to a right to health care, it is compliance which determines the eligibility of provinces and territories to receive health care funding through the Canada health transfer and a cherished part of Canadian identity. Clearly, funding available through the Canada health transfer is not enough for our needs here in the North, and the Minister of Health and Social Services is always ready to press her federal counterparts in efforts to secure more resources to address the systemic challenges Northerners face. However, given that these systemic challenges have escalated into what can now only be described as an urgent crisis with no clear end in sight, it can be safely assumed that the Minister is gearing up for another round of lobbying when the point of failure is reached.

Before this Minister turns, however, to admonish her counterparts in Ottawa for their perceived inaction, we should first examine our own record as a government in upholding the very laws we are responsible for enforcing. Is the North's health care truly comprehensive without primary care? Is it universal when communities and small communities are serviced by hospitals, health centres, and health cabins that have no doctors, nurses, or other trained medical professionals on staff? Even on an operational standard, is it still a trauma bay if it is eventually run by the same staff who run a flu clinic?

Maybe we should stop calling this a health care crisis, and we should start calling this a leadership crisis. We have the same geography, logistics, and unique northern challenges we've always had. How can we turn to the federal government to ask for more when, to many, it feels like we aren't meeting the minimum standards required to be compliant with the Canada Health Act?

Mr. Speaker, nurses are asking. Doctors are asking. Northerners are asking. It's time that the Minister answer those questions with a real plan, not a work plan to a public administer -- administrator, but a real plan to fix health care in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, support for this bill, for anyone who's been listening to frontline workers, seems to be a no-brainer to me. We've heard repeatedly about morale crises at the health -- within the health system. We've heard about the inability to staff units. We've heard about recruitment and retention challenges. We hire nurses quickly, and they leave just as quick. And when you have frontline workers who are coming to us and saying we need a louder voice, you know, I think we're obliged to listen. And Mr. Speaker, the intent -- the principle of this bill is to give these workers a louder voice.

I think the Minister is right when she said earlier that, you know, this is not a silver bullet -- I'm paraphrasing -- that a new collective bargaining structure won't solve all the problems. And I agree with her because you need to have a government that's willing to invest in those solutions and provide, you know, better compensation, better benefits, more contract flexibility, safety and security in health centres and health environments. The working conditions are deplorable. We continuously hear that. And we can't wait for collective bargaining to solve them. So I do agree there. But the onus is on the government to fix that problem, not to rely on, you know, a collective bargaining process or wait -- to wait for that process.

So the question is really not is it going to solve all these problems? That's the wrong question to ask. The question is is this going to give nurses a louder voice? And when I think to answer that question for myself, I think of the recent information that's been publicly shared about the emergency department at Stanton Territorial Hospital. It wasn't until the NWT Medical Association presented to a standing committee of this House and raised these concerns that we saw a contract come out. These concerns were present last summer as well, and they remained unaddressed. So I think if nurses had the ability to raise their voices and share this with the public without fear of reprisal from their employer or breaching their code of conduct or a multitude of other things, could they not raise concerns about the working conditions so the general public can know. Because we need to know about the problems before we can fix them, and I think the principle of this bill is to do exactly that. In fact, I don't think that; I know that, because I listened to the mover's words earlier today.

Mr. Speaker, you know, we also hear the handwringing around Charter issues, that the entire Public Service Act has this challenge around section 41. But we're still hearing now that legislation -- phase 1 legislation is going to come forth; it doesn't address that. So if the real issue here is these Charter concerns, and we have to be very careful about the Charter and respecting people's rights, then we shouldn't do any changes to the Public Service Act that don't address the Charter issues. That should be solved first before we do other things. That's foundational work. If your Act is unconstitutional or could be unconstitutional, then that's a risk that should be addressed. And from a historically risk adverse government, it's interesting to see that that is, in fact, the law of the land because when we are trying to solve this problem of bringing a new union -- public service union or bargaining unit forward, there's only one way to do it, and that's the way the Member has proposed. There's no other way. You can come -- I mean, Cabinet can bring forward a bill as well, and perhaps it would be -- had more consultation and follow the process that they typically process. But clearly that wasn't happening or else we wouldn't be here today.

I have great respect for labour in the Northwest Territories. I have great respect for workers in the Northwest Territories. I think we have strong unions in the Northwest Territories as well. But the presence of a labour monopoly over the public sector is not a question. It's a fact. It's a fact. And we do need to figure out how to deal with that in a way that doesn't infringe on workers' rights but also that doesn't prevent workers from exercising those rights when they want to go a different way.

Again, this bill is clumsy in that effort because of the legislative environment that it's confined to. But, again, we're not talking about the specifics of this bill. We're talking about the principle of the bill; what it entails. You know, that's for a later discussion.

The only concern I have with that -- we've heard many Members here talk about process, right, the process of how bills work in this House. And it's fine to say, well, we have a process, and today we'll move it along to the next step in the process. But there's a step after that, and that's voting the bill into law. And I'm not going to jump to conclusions, but I don't want to give people false hope as well. Today is just another part of the journey of a bill, and if people are holding back to just support the process but not support the principle, that's a concern. That's a concern for everyone who wants this bill to pass because there's no certainty that that will happen even if we see it go forward today. So if this is something you want, I certainly encourage you to keep the momentum up, talk to your MLAs, share things publicly, and make sure that this is -- this fight for nurses doesn't end here today because, again, Members supporting the process today should also be supporting the principle if they intend to see this bill through into law. And I certainly do support the principle.

So with that, Mr. Speaker, I thank the mover for bringing it forward. This was difficult. This is an unusual bill to see on the floor. But it shows that the Member is trying to solve the problem of slow government, that when the processes that we use to develop legislation drag on, morale -- we see this happening. The situation gets steadily worse, conditions deteriorate because we're not moving fast enough. And these issues are longstanding. So, again, I have great respect for labour organizations in the Northwest Territories. I've stood on the floor of this House to defend their position, defend workers, but I see workers here today asking for something, and it's important that we listen to their voices and do our best to ensure those voices are heard. Because health care is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of Northerners and, quite frankly, it's in crisis. It's in chaos. And if we can do anything on the floor of this House to bring attention to those issues and to find ways to solve them, then I'm going to stand up and support that, and I will be voting in favour of this bill. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize a few people who have been passionate advocates for nurses since this term started, Andrew Gregory, Tad Duquette, Tamara Holliday. I thank you for being here and bringing your colleagues as well. I know my riding of Range Lake has a great number of health care workers. They do so much good work for our communities. They keep us safe. They keep our families well. And I want to thank you all, recognize your service to our communities here, and thank you for being here today. Sorry that I not -- might not be able to recognize every one of my constituents, but I know that -- know that we're fighting for you, and we'll keep fighting the good fight just as you do every day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, May 28th, 2025, I will present to the House Bill 29, First Responders Workers' Compensation Amendment Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. And I appreciate the Minister's advocacy. Good luck with that government, unfortunately, Mr. Speaker. So I mean, if -- instead of waiting to convince the political -- or waiting for one Minister from the Northwest Territories to make the political and climate in Alberta change, which is unlikely, no offence to the Minister, can we just enter into this agreement to get trans youth who need these surgeries, who need this gender affirming care, in other jurisdictions? We know Ontario has developed a bit of a specialty here. Can she reach out and make an agreement with Ontario so we can -- my constituent's child can get the care that they so desperately deserve? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, thank you. I mean, in this case it is a surgery for gender affirming care. It is top surgery. But given that Ontario has far more capacity to provide gender affirming surgeries, why can't our health system send NWT residents there, given the political climate in Alberta is compromising access to timely and appropriate care for those seeking gender affirming surgeries? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was meeting with a constituent over the weekend and learned that their child is having trouble accessing gender affirming care. Can the Minister explain why the government continues to rely on Alberta Health Services to provide Northerners with gender affirming care when it's well known that many surgeons are unwilling to perform these procedures due to the current political climate in the province? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.