Canada signs a bilateral agreement for $5.3 million with Northwest Territories to strengthen support for personal support workers

YELLOWKNIFE, NT, Febr. 4, 2025 /CNW/ - Personal support workers (PSWs) are integral to Canada's health care system, providing essential care to seniors, individuals with disabilities, and vulnerable populations in the comfort of their own homes and communities. Given their critical role, PSWs must be offered supportive working conditions to ensure Canada has enough PSWs to support Canadians, now and in the future.

Today, Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories, on behalf of the Honourable Mark Holland, Canada's Minister of Health, and the Honourable Lesa Semmler, Minister of Health and Social Services for the Northwest Territories, announced a bilateral agreement to invest $5.3 million over five years to support PSWs across the Northwest Territories (NWT).

Through this agreement, the NWT will be able to support the recruitment and retention of new PSWs by:

• Hiring PSW educators in each Health and Social Services Authority to provide ongoing training and support; and
• Enhancing PSW education programs to meet labour market demands through expanding the Aurora College PSW program to increase the number of qualified PSWs.

This is an amendment to the Aging with Dignity bilateral agreement, announced with the Northwest Territories on February 13, 2024, as part of the Government's Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians plan. This agreement will strengthen our health care workforce and safeguard the quality of care for vulnerable populations, promoting a more resilient and equitable health care system for all Canadians.

Quotes

"Reaching this agreement is another step in our collaborative efforts to build a stronger public health system for people in the Northwest Territories. Personal support workers are the foundation of quality care for our seniors, individuals with disabilities, and vulnerable populations. By investing in recruitment and retention initiatives, we are ensuring PSWs and Canadians receive the support they deserve."

The Honourable Mark Holland
Minister of Health

"Personal support workers are the backbone of our health care system, especially in rural and remote areas. This $5.3 million investment will help us recruit and retain PSWs in the Northwest Territories, ensuring they have the resources and support needed to deliver essential care. By strengthening our PSW workforce, we're enhancing care for our most vulnerable and building a more resilient health care system for the future."

Michael McLeod
Member of Parliament for Northwest Territories

"This agreement represents a significant investment in the health and wellness of Northwest Territories residents. By enabling more training and support and enhancing education programs to meet labour demands, we are working collaboratively to improve the recruitment and retention of PSWs and provide the high-quality and culturally-sensitive care that residents of the Northwest Territories need and deserve."

The Honourable Lesa Semmler
Minister of Health and Social Services, Government of the Northwest Territories

Quick Facts

• Budget 2023 outlined the Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians plan, through which the Government of Canada is investing close to $200 billion over 10 years, including $46.2 billion in new funding for provinces and territories, to improve health care for Canadians. Within this funding, $25 billion is allocated through new tailored bilateral agreements to address the unique needs of their populations and geography in four shared health priorities:
  • expanding access to family health services, including in rural and remote areas;
  • supporting health workers and reducing backlogs;
  • increasing mental health and substance use support; and
  • modernizing health care systems with health data and digital tools.
• The Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians plan outlined an investment of $1.709 billion over five years to increase the wages of personal support workers (PSWs) and related professions and support other recruitment and retention measures for PSWs.
• This funding is accessible to provinces and territories through an amendment to their Aging with Dignity agreements and will extend their agreements by one year (until 2028-29) for delivery of PSW funding. The Northwest Territories PSW amendment has been added to their Aging with Dignity Agreement posted online.
• The Aging with Dignity agreements also include $2.4 billion over four years ($600 million per year for fiscal years 2023-24 to 2026-27) to improve access to home and community care from Budget 2017; and $3 billion over five years ($600 million per year for fiscal years 2023-24 to 2027-28) for long-term care from Budget 2021 to apply standards of care in long-term care facilities and help support workforce stability.
• • PTs can tailor the amendment to address the unique needs of their populations and geography. Where wages are relatively high or have been significantly increased in recent years, PTs can use federal funds to also advance other non-wage recruitment and retention measures.
• To support family health services, health workforce and backlogs, mental health and substance use, and modernized health data systems, Canada and the Northwest Territories also signed a three-year Working Together Agreement, announced on February 13, 2024.

Associated Links

• Working Together to Improve Health Care in Canada

SOURCE Health Canada (HC)

Contacts: Matthew Kronberg, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, 343-552-5654; Press Secretary,Government of the Northwest Territories, [email protected]; Media Relations, Health Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]; Public Enquiries: 613-957-2991, 1-866-225-0709