Thank you.
I'd like to get to the issue of nursing shortages.
We know that out of the 223 nurses that ISC says it needs, 43 positions are unfilled. On top of that, more than half of the nurse positions that are filled are filled by contract agencies that are providing only emergency care, rather than the primary care that first nations deserve and desperately need.
It's so bad that communities are posting notices about the lack of nurses in their communities. When I was in Wasagamack First Nation on February 20, in front of the store there was a notice that said, “The nursing station is closed due to nurse shortages starting the week of January 29 until further notice.”
Pimicikamak Cree Nation recently declared a state of emergency. Even though they're supposed to have 13 nurses, they had far fewer than that—four—and when they declared the state of emergency, they were committed another four, for eight, but still short of the 13 they deserve, given how large the first nation is and how large the community is.
We know that nurses have been clear about the stress and the burnout they face, and we know that communities are not getting the health care they deserve. In fact, I've joined with first nation leaders who have been very clear that this has had a devastating impact, including in cases of premature death.
This is an urgent situation. What is ISC doing to help first nations like Pimicikamak, like Wasagamack and like Little Grand Rapids, which either have declared states of emergency or have put forward these urgent notices? What is ISC doing to work with them to lift these states of emergency and ensure that there are enough nurses to serve first nations?