The question has been taken as notice. Item 7, oral questions. No further oral questions? Item 8, written questions. Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to go back to item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to return to item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and fellow Members of the Assembly. I have the great pleasure today of introducing Frank Carpenter, the district director of the Beaufort-Delta Housing Corporation office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Welcome to those gentlemen who have arrived here and are visiting your Assembly. Item 8, written questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have three written questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

1. What is the status of the Child Protection Protocol Review?

2. What is the consultation and communications process for involving and informing the public and social agencies?

3. Will the Minister make public the revised Child Abuse Handbook, protocol agreements and Standards and Procedures Manual for Child Protection Workers?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 8, written questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, Returns to written questions. Item 10, petitions. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 13, tabling of documents. Item 14, notices of motion. Item 15, notices of motions for the first reading of bills. Item 16, motions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that notwithstanding Rule 4, that when this House adjourns on Thursday, March 13, 2003, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, June 4, 2003;

AND FURTHER at any time prior to June 4, 2003, if the Speaker is satisfied after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may given notice and thereupon, the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time.

Thank you. A motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Item 16, motions. Item 17, first reading of bills. Item 18, second reading of bills. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nunakput, that Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Workers' Compensation Act, be read for the second time. Mr. Speaker, this bill amends the Workers' Compensation Act in response to the reports and recommendations of various review panels and standing committees of the Legislative Assembly and in recognition of the need to amend outdated provisions of the act.

Some of the key provisions of this bill are concerned with:

- establishing the board as a corporation that is distinct from the persons who management it;

- establishing a governance council of directors of the board;

- establishing the office of president of the board;

- clarifying the application of the act, in part by clarifying the definitions "employer" and "worker";

- providing for the appointment of a workers' advisor and deputy workers' advisor;

- providing that the appeals tribunal may hire staff and contract with advisors;

- setting out the matters that the board shall consider in making decisions respecting claims and providing that review committees shall consider those matters in determining reviews of board decisions respecting claims and assessments;

- clarifying the provisions related to giving a notice of an accident and injury and providing that receipt of a notice of an accident and injury by the board constitutes a claim;

- standardizing time limits for filing claims;

- providing for a co-operative approach to the treatment of an injured worker;

- providing for a process to address conflicts in the opinions of the board's medical advisor and a workers' health care providers;

- increasing from 16 to 19 the age at which a child of a worker is still considered to be a dependant;

- repealing the provisions relating to silicosis, leaving the general provisions relating to industrial diseases to govern;

- clarifying the provisions respecting disclosure of information obtained by persons under the act;

- providing that certain amounts and other items, including the amount of the year's maximum insurable remuneration, will be set out in regulations;

- providing for the appointment of a review panel to conduct a review of the act;

- increasing the penalties for contravention of the act and the regulations and providing that an officer, director or agent of a corporation who directs, authorizes, assents to, acquiesces in or participates in an offence committed by the corporation is guilty of the offence.

The bill also makes certain amendments to remedy administrative and enforcement difficulties that have arisen under the Workers' Compensation Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. The motion is in order. The principle of the bill. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a brief comment in favour of the principle of this bill. The issues surrounding various aspects of the workers compensation are something that come to my desk a lot in my office and I have been working closely with a number of injured workers as they work through the workers' compensation system. I have also watched the work of the legislative panel very closely and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Minister for wading through the maze of the legislative agenda that is in front of us and make sure this bill gets introduced in time for consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I realize now that this bill is introduced, we will be going through a public hearing process and there probably will be a number of suggestions from the public about ways to improve this, but from what I see and based on the Ministers' statements in this House, I believe this is a very good start. I think 61 out of 85 recommendations is a very good step forward, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, we would have liked to have done 100 percent, but I think it's good that the Minister decided to do what he can and not leave everything behind like we have seen in other cases. Mr. Speaker, I think this is a good bill and I would like to thank the board and the staff and officials in the government who have worked on this.

In particular, Mr. Speaker, I think it's a very good thing to have a workers' advisor appointed by the Minister rather than a board. I know the present incumbent and everyone before has worked really hard but there is a perception out there that's very real in the workers I have talked to who are hesitant and not 100 percent trusting about what the workers' advisor can do for them. I think having a Minister appoint them and then having a direct communication link between the workers' advisor and the Minister is a huge step forward.

Mr. Speaker, I have had the occasion to communicate directly with the workers' compensation office as an MLA and I think that for some of them it was a surprise to get any kind of communication from the Member. So this will go a long way in establishing a critical and important link between the worker and the workers' advisor.

The second thing I like in this bill that the Minister has mentioned is that there will be a process in place for an injured worker to have a team of people, including health care advisors and providers and I am assuming that would include a family doctor and other people who could intervene and look at what the extent of the damage is and what is the best way to treat the injury or damage. Often this is the area of most controversy. There is a lot of dispute about what the state and extent of the injury is and what is the best treatment. Sometimes the workers don't agree with the opinion given by the Workers' Compensation Board. So I think this is going to be a great improvement in the workers' compensation process and it's one that I will support.

Mr. Speaker, in large sense, what these amendments will do is bring it forward in changing the corporate structure, in a sense. Mr. Speaker, the Minister has mentioned that this bill is 25 years old and society has changed a lot in 25 years. The president of the corporation, in her statement to committee, said that she is working to change the corporate structure to be more friendly to the workers. Whether it's real or not, the perception has been out there and I believe that these amendments will work towards a change in the corporate culture so workers' compensation is seen as more friendly towards workers.

I should also note here that I do believe that by and large the Workers' Compensation Board gives a great deal of service. Most employees who are injured at work are able to go there and get benefits and remuneration for lost wages. It is those who fall between the cracks and those who are injured in a manner that's questionable or who are denied benefits for a number of reasons. I have dealt with these injured workers in very close situation and emotional situations and it's real people with real problems that we are here to help. I believe this will go a long way in addressing this.

With that, I would just like to congratulate the Minister. I look forward to getting involved in the public hearing process to make sure this bill and any improvements that might come about will be incorporated. I believe that it is good work and I am glad our Assembly will address this major legislative initiative before we fold as an Assembly.

---Applause

Thank you. To the principle of the bill.

All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 15 has had second reading and accordingly the bill stands referred to a committee. Item 18, second reading of bills. Item 19: consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Bill 11, Committee Reports 3-14(6), 4-14(6), 5-14(6), 6-15(6), and 8-14(6); Motion 10; Minister's Statement 28-14(6); Tabled Documents 26-14(6), 31-14(6) and 41-14(6); and by the authority given the Speaker by Motion 4-14(6), the House is resolved into Committee of the Whole to sit beyond the time of adjournment until the committee is prepared to report with Mr. Delorey in the chair.

I will call the committee to order. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Dent.

Mr. Chairman, I recommend we consider Bill 11, followed by Committee Report 6-14(6), then Committee Report 8-14(6), then Committee Reports 3-14(6), 4-14(6), and 5-14(6); then the balance of the items on the order paper, there are five I believe, that refer to harmonization and deal with them concurrently following all the other items.

Thank you. Does the committee agree?