Mr. Speaker, it will be my pleasure later today to introduce a bill to amend the Workers' Compensation Act. There have been no major amendments to this act since it became law over 25 years ago. This bill will be the first of two phases of amendments that will give the people of the NWT an entirely modern and effective workers' compensation system.
Members will recall that a legislative panel was appointed in 2000 to make recommendations for changes to the Workers' Compensation Act and the Safety Act. Made up of representatives from both the NWT and Nunavut, the panel's report Act Now, was received by me and the Minister responsible for the WCB in Nunavut the Honourable Kelvin Ng in January 2002, a little over one year ago.
The Workers' Compensation Board of the NWT and Nunavut is unique for both jurisdictions as it is the only remaining shared institution between the NWT and Nunavut. Although we have a shared board of directors, however, both jurisdictions maintain their own legislation.
Mr. Speaker, it is no easy task to develop legislative amendments for the workers' compensation system. First of all, as mentioned, the WCB serves two jurisdictions. In order for the board to maintain a unified legislative base, all amendments made to one government's act, should be reflected in the other jurisdictions. Secondly, by its nature, the legislation also serves two main interest groups - employers who pay for the system and employees who must access the system when an unfortunate incident occurs.
I would also like to note that this bill presents a first for both our Legislative Assembly and that of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. The content of the legislative proposal was developed with input from both governments. The bill itself was drafted by the GNWT Department of Justice, with French translation provided by the Government of Nunavut. I am also pleased to report that the Honourable Kelvin Ng and I were able to discuss and agree on a number of issues, which have been included in the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise the House that the amendments I will be introducing later today, address over 70 percent of the 85 Act Now recommendations calling for legislative change. Many of the remainder of the panel's recommendations addressed operational and other issues not requiring legislative change.
Accountability is key for any system to work effectively. These amendments will clearly establish the roles and responsibilities of all the players in the system so that the public will know how it is to work and who is responsible for making it work.
The amendments will also establish, in legislation, the office of the worker's advisor to help injured workers with their claims. The appointment of the workers' advisory will change from the board to the Minister, as will the workers' advisory's reporting relationship. This will create a direct line of communication and accountability from the workers' advisor to the Minister.
When workers are injured, they need quick access to effective treatment so that they can return to work as quickly a possible. The proposed amendments will mandate the workers' healthcare provider, the worker and the WCB to cooperate in the process of the worker's recovery through early assessment, diagnoses and the development of a treatment plan.
From time to time, Mr. Speaker, there can be differences of medical opinions with respect to the treatment plan for an injured worker. The proposed amendment mandate is a cooperative, consultative approach to help resolve these differences. This will remove some of the adversarial nature of the current process.
The proposed amendments will also clarify major sections of the act and make it easier to read and understand. The amended Workers' Compensation Act will be much more user friendly.
As I mentioned earlier, this bill will address over 70 percent of the recommendations that were made in the Act Now report. These amendments will go a long way to improving the workers' compensation system in the NWT and Nunavut, but the bill we will introduce this afternoon is not the end of the process. A second phase of legislative amendments, including a complete rewrite of the Workers' Compensation Act, is needed to address the remaining Act Now recommendations. I expect these amendments to be ready for introduction early in the life of the next government; and I hope that the Members of the 15th Legislative Assembly will continue to support the completion of this important work.
I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight, who spent a great deal of time reviewing the legislative proposal. Our discussions with AOC were constructive and helpful and I thank them for their contributions to this bill. In closing, I would like to thank the members of the Legislative Review Panel who provided the foundation for the amendments that will be introduced later today. Mr. Speaker, they are Louise Vertes, chairperson; Shona Barkley, Dan Halldorson, Steve Petersen, David Simailak, Alex Stuit and Don Yamkowy. I would also like to thank the board and staff of the WCB and the Department of Justice for their diligence in developing this first set of amendments and the Government of Nunavut for their cooperation in ensuring that his bill would be ready to go forward during the life of our respective governments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.