Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is a relatively simple amendment to the Workers' Compensation Act, which will respond to a recommendation made by the standing committee on agencies, boards and commissions to this House on June 18. That recommendation, which resulted from hearings and about which the chairman may say more, was that the year's maximum insurable remuneration, which determines the benefits payable in respect of an accident, should be increased. The recommendation also was that this increase should be acted upon prior to the conclusion of the June sitting of this House. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased that this amendment is now before this committee. I would like to thank the ABC committee and the standing committee on legislation for making it possible for this amendment to get to where it is today by overlooking the usual time constraints that would be ordinarily in place with legislation.
I would just like to say that the YMIR has not increased since July of 1988. This is just under a 12 per cent increase. The now YMIR, if this amendment is approved, will go to $47,500 from $40,000 and the new level would take effect as of July 1, 1992, if this bill is approved in a timely fashion.
I am pleased to inform the committee that the Workers' Compensation Board has recommended that this level as one that can be met within their existing budget without a need for increased assessments to employers for this fiscal year. It can be funded by the board. In other words, It is an affordable increase based on their projections of the predicted accident rates and the predictable costs.
I would also like to mention, Mr. Chairman, that the ABC committee recommended indexing of the YMIR, and this is something that will be studied by myself. It is something that I am quite sure will be dealt with in the legislative action paper which it is proposed by the ABC committee be developed, recommending areas to amend the Workers' Compensation Act before the end of this year.
I want to assure Members of this committee that the concept of indexing is something that is being taken seriously and will be studied, but this amendment should be considered as an interim step which will bring the YMIR up to higher levels to reflect increases in the cost of living since 1988. I am told that this level of $47,500, if passed, will put us up within the top bracket in Canada. British Columbia and Saskatchewan, for example, have YMIRs of $48,000; Ontario's is over $50,000; Prince Edward Island is as low as $27,000. This puts the Northwest Territories in the upper range of YMIRs in the country. It is probably never going to be quite enough from the point of view of workers, but it is certainly an improvement.
One other thing I would like to mention, Mr. Chairman, is that although this YMIR affects workers who suffer accidents after July 1, cabinet has also approved, effective July 1, an increase to the pensions that are already being paid to workers injured before this date who are now on compensation. They have not been overlooked in conjunction with this amendment. Their pensions will increase by 7.5 per cent as of July 1, along with this amendment, so It will affect workers who will be injured after July 1 and, through another mechanism that does not require legislation, namely a cabinet order, the pensions for those who are now presently on compensation have been brought up by 7.5 per cent.
Mr. Chairman, I think this amendment will be seen as a step forward by workers who have complained to their Members in the Legislative Assembly and who have made representations to the standing committee on agencies, boards and commissions. I see it as an interim amendment because we are also going to be working on a more comprehensive legislative review which will look at issues like indexing which could eliminate for coming to the House with amendments like this from time to time. That concept, and other issues that are in need of attention, and which I am sure will be addressed in the ABC committee's report - which I understand will be given later this session - will be rolled into the legislative review. I think this is a timely amendment, and I would recommend passage. Thank you.