Agreed.

---Agreed

Agreed.

---Agreed

Agreed.

---Agreed

Agreed.

---Agreed

I am, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to introduce this bill, which amends the Workers' Compensation Act. Its purpose is to make two important changes to the act, both of which reflect a cooperative spirit between WCB and government departments.

The first change deals with coverage for renewable resource harvesters, and the second with information sharing between the WCB and GNWT departments.

Both WCB and Renewable Resources sponsored the legislative proposal leading to this amendment of subsection 10(3), which will change how the WCB handles claims from renewable resource harvesters. The WCB has also worked closely with the Department of Renewable Resources to develop a memorandum of understanding to address the issue of harvesters' coverage.

Members have raised concerns about the WCB's coverage of renewable resource harvesters. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, in particular, has expressed dissatisfaction over the definition of "principally engaged," which is established in WCB policy. The board will apply more liberal criteria once this amendment is made, thus extending protection to more harvesters, increasing equity between individuals and allowing for more claims to be accepted.

The MOU that will govern the administration of the renewable resource harvesters' compensation program sets out that the board will not arbitrarily change the definition in the future. Rather, the WCB is committed to working jointly with the department if the program needs adjustment. This jointly developed MOU is the key to the program, but a legislative change is also required before it can be implemented.

Once a renewable resource harvester's claim is accepted by the board, the WCB must establish a level of income on which to base the level of benefits. The current legislation uses the year's maximum insurable remuneration or "YMIR," which is not $47,000 -- a figure not always representative of a harvester's true income. The amendment establishes a "deemed" income of $24,000. The Department of Renewable Resources recommends this amount as a more accurate reflection of earnings from renewable resource harvesting activity.

Only a few claims from harvesters are now being accepted because the definition of "principally engaged" refers to harvesting income of $10,000 or more. This $10,000 threshold has been difficult for most renewable resource harvesters to meet. The MOU will require that 25 per cent or more of the harvesters' annual income be from harvesting and it credits the harvester with $7,000 for the value of country food. The combination of this legislative amendment and the WCB policy change should result in more eligible claims.

Under current legislation, the WCB can exchange information with the Government of Canada, the provinces and the Yukon, but not with our own government.

While this is only a minor wording change, it is important. This House recently adopted the recommendations of the Special Committee on Health and Social Services to ensure government departments work more closely together and consult with each other.

Some people are also concerned about the protection of privacy. The amendment does not promote the release of information to just anyone. Information will be released under controls and guidelines. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Can we get copies of the statement the Minister made?

I would like the copy now because he's made some points that some of us had questions on in committee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee on Legislation met to review Bill 6, An Act to Amend the Workers' Compensation Act, on February 26, 1993 -- is this 1993 or 1994, is it a typo, this is 1994, I'm sure, thanks to our researcher. The committee thanks the Minister and his officials from the Workers' Compensation Board and

the legislative council for presenting this bill and responding to the questions of the Members.

Mr. Chairman, I would also like to thank the committee Members since this was a public forum that we held on the weekend. It was on a Saturday and I appreciated the Members spending some of their time to deal with these bills. The bill amends the definition of the workers for the purpose of the act to include those individuals who are beneficiaries under the land claims agreement. It also sets the annual payment for traditional harvesters covered by the act to be $24,000. Finally, the bill amends the act to allow the Workers' Compensation Board to share information with the Government of the Northwest Territories.

During the public meetings on this bill, the Minister assured the committee that the board would apply a more liberal criteria in dealing with the "principally engaged" definition if this amendment is made. This would enable more harvesters to have more coverage and an increase in the number of claims accepted. The Minister also informed the committee that a memorandum of understanding has been developed between the Department of Renewable Resources and the Workers' Compensation Board which addresses the issue of harvesters coverage. The Minister advised the committee that the MOU is key to the harvesters program and that it governs the administration of the programs and sets out that the board will not arbitrarily change the definition of "principally engaged" in the future.

The committee feels that it is very important for the traditional harvesters to be recognized within the compensation terms. Based on the assurance of the Minister and the MOU between the Department of Renewable Resources and the Workers' Compensation Board, the committee feels that the approach by the Workers' Compensation Board to deal with this pragmatic area is very progressive in that it recognizes the importance of traditional lifestyles to the people of the north and recognizes the need to return to a definition of principally engaged that reflects the spirit of the act.

Further, the committee feels it is important that the improved communication between the board and the government be supported. This bill will amend the legislation to allow the board to share information with the Government of the Northwest Territories as well as with the Government of Canada, the provinces and the Yukon. The amendment promotes effective information sharing and removes barriers to effective team work. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have several questions. I welcome this completely, but I have some questions. When you say that you can earn $24,000, how do you determine that country food harvesting worth $7,000 represents an overall similar price per pound of other food? How much is it for walrus, Arctic char, or caribou? Or, would it be priced differently? How do you determine the dollar amount?

My preference would be to call in my witnesses just in case there are questions I'm unable to answer.

Agreed.

---Agreed