James Lawrance - PASS!
1 - YES 2 - YES 3 - YES 4 - YES 5 - YES 6 - YES
Katrina Nokleby - PASS!
1 - YES. The NWT’s healthcare professionals are burnt out from years of staff shortages and being overworked including coping with the additional burden of training and orienting southern locums and agency staff, as well as the additional caused by COVID. Throughout the last four years I met regularly with nurses and other professionals who indicated they do not feel heard by management; are working unrealistic schedules with no flexibility; and generally, feel undervalued by the GNWT, in particular when compared to how southern, non-permanent staff are treated.
Actions that need to be taken include reducing the red tape around hiring healthcare professionals and explore decentralizing the HR function from Finance as there are administrative delays to posting and hiring due to silos. We need to listen to the staff we already have, implement their solutions, and create a proper training/orientation program for locums or southern temporary workers such that the burden is not falling on existing staff. Create a flexible job sharing program so that people can choose hours that better suit their needs and those of their family. Reduce the number of agency hires to save money. Ensure the nursing program continues in whatever iteration of the college/university we land on. Offer further hiring bonuses and incentives for recruitment, as well as long service bonuses. Also we could look at how doctors fall under the GNWT as employees and adopt a different strategy like some southern jurisdictions do so they can earn more income.
Provide more time and funding for professional development and training so it’s not at the employee’s personal expense and time. Develop an international recruitment strategy and work with the federal government to speed up the immigration process.
2 - YES. Throughout the last four years I’ve repeatedly asked why this situation had developed and felt I never received a good response other than regional representation and control was wanted. I see that by having separate authorities we are wasting money on the duplication of efforts as well as potentially creating gaps in service if residents need to move between authorities. I believe regional input and control could be achieved in a different manner such as regional councils or advisory committees that include Indigenous Governments to work in conjunction with the overarching authority and the Department of Health and Social Services.
3 - YES. Equal pay for equal work has been something I’ve advocated for my entire career as a woman in a non-traditional profession. Everyone deserves to be compensated fairly and equally to their colleagues in the same position, regardless of race, religion, orientation, or gender.
4 - YES. I have spent the last four years receiving quite the education on the colonial systems at play in the north. I wholeheartedly agree with any work that helps to break down barriers and moves the NWT and Canada along the path to true Reconciliation with Indigenous people.
5 - YES. People I’m advocating for often speak about the high turnover with respect to their case worker or social worker (especially concerning when we’re talking about CFS) and how that impacts the level of service or care they receive. This affects all aspect of government work, from health care to income assistance, and if we’re not supporting public servants all aspects of the government will suffer.
6 - YES. Our residents have been struggling to keep up with the cost of living for years, with things quickly declining since the pandemic. The lucrative wages of the NWT are a thing of the past and you can no longer come here to make your fortune on opportunities not available in Southern Canada. We need to be competitive with wages if we hope to stop the exodus of workers south.
Kate Reid - PASS!
1 - YES. In a very real way, people are our healthcare system, and how the dedicated professionals who make up the system are compensated and treated is a major factor in the NWT’s healthcare crisis. If elected (and even if not!) I will stand by nurses, and all workers, to have fair and sustainable wages and benefits. To have a resourceful, sustainable and thriving community we need to be healthy - and we desperately need healthcare workers to be proud to work in the NWT's healthcare system that treats them with respect and values their contributions.
For hiring, the GNWT is currently offering signing and retention bonuses of $5000 each. I think what we may not do so well is showcase the amazing lifestyle and community that exists in the North. Perhaps we could redirect some of our tourism ad campaign money to a nation-wide blitz. Also it seems that our hiring procedures and policies are to some extent, getting in our own way. It’s noteworthy to me that in the news recently, the NWT Ombud is seeking public input on the GNWT’s staffing appeals process right now, too. The wait from applying, to offer, to interview, to securing a job takes far too long - and by the time we get to successful candidates with a ‘yes,’ they’ve moved on to another offer in the south because all healthcare workers in Canada are in high demand.
For those wonderful folks who are here in the NWT working hard: It's glaringly obvious to me that we have left nurses behind to pick up the pieces from the pandemic, and the employer has not truly valued them for their service. Retention of experienced nurses and healthcare workers is important to the Union of Northern Workers -- and as President of UNW Local 40, I heard their concerns voiced at the bargaining conference in the summer of 2022 before we collectively chose to stand up for health care workers in this round of bargaining.
2 - YES. Healthcare workers are stronger when they can stand in solidarity together. I would support the UNW seeking to incorporate these workers under the Public Service Act or any other structural solution that would see them bargain together with their colleagues.
3 - YES.
4 - YES. As the President of the Union of Northern Workers, Gayla Thunstrom, has said publicly, we all have a responsibility to current and future Indigenous members of the public service to use our union to work towards decolonizing collective agreements. The language and structures within these agreements were based on settler traditions and customs, including the definition of family and designated holidays. I will continue to support the UNW to bargain for more inclusive definitions of a family structure, for cultural leave, and other steps identified by members that will help forward our path towards reconciliation.
5 - YES. I want to see the GNWT continue to pursue the government renewal initiative, but we also need to include the lens of workers doing meaningful work that helps our residents how they need it most, and allocate our great workers to the best of their abilities.
6 - YES. I will also advocate as an MLA for the NWT to pilot a guaranteed basic income program, to ensure no one gets left behind. A program like this would ensure everyone is at the point where they have the dignity to afford a place to call home, putting food on the table, and other basic necessities, thereby allowing the space for everyone to make good choices. More folks could choose to go back to school, volunteer, care for ill family members, and more. It would scale based on your income, and replace income assistance.
Stacie Arden Smith - PASS!
1 - YES 2 - YES 3 - YES 4 - YES 5 - YES 6 - YES