Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight reviewed Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Workers' Compensation Act, at its meetings on March 16, 2000 and March 30, 2000. Currently, the Workers' Compensation Act contains provisions which allow for the termination of surviving spouse benefits if they marry or remarry.
This Bill proposes to enable dependant surviving spouses who marry or remarry after the coming into force of the equality sections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to retain their compensation benefits under the act. The proposed amendment restores compensation entitlements to those widows who married after April 17, 1985, the date the equality provisions of the Charter came into force.
The committee would like to thank the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board and his officials for presenting the bill and responding to the committee's questions. Members of the committee would also like to thank Mr. Joseph Arvay, legal counsel for a number of spouses who will, in part, be affected by the proposed amendments.
Committee members were encouraged to hear the Minister make a public commitment to also address the entitlements of those not covered by this bill: those surviving spouses who had their pensions terminated before April, 1985 because of remarriage.
We encourage the Minister and counsel for the pre-1985 widows to pursue other ways of resolving the pre-1985 cases as expediently as possible. The committee was encouraged to hear the Minister state that $2 million has been set aside as a contingency for the potential settlement of the pre-1985 claims. It is the committee's contention that the government must accept its obligation and deal with the remaining pre-1985 widows, The committee looks forward to the Minister implementing such a settlement.
Mr. Chairman, the standing committee supports the proposed amendments and awaits discussion during the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill. This concludes the committee's comments on Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Workers' Compensation Act. Thank you, Mr. Chair.