Thank you, Madam Chair, I am pleased to have an opportunity today to speak with members of the committee about Bill 7, Personal Directives Act. This bill will enable individuals who choose to do so to make advance decisions about their care, if they become incapable of making personal decisions. Personal directives can help a family member or other person to make decisions that they know would have been supported by their loved one.
The NWT Seniors' Society has been the greatest advocate for this initiative, as has the Council for the Disabled. This act supports the involvement of people in managing their own private matters. It is not about the government stepping in to advise and monitor people's personal and private matters.
The proposed act will regulate the creation, content, revocation and legal effect of personal directives written by persons 19 or older. The act also addresses the issues of agent authority, emergency medical treatment, and the role of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories in reviewing personal directives and decisions made under personal directives.
The act will complement the Powers of Attorney Act, which allows individuals to plan in advance how their financial decisions should be made in the event of incapacity. Together, these acts will support the ability of individuals to prepare, in the event of their own incapacity, by providing authority and guidance about how financial and personal decisions should be made.
It has been our intention to keep the processes as simple as possible. We are not planning to regulate the use of a single correct form or to implement a registry process. We consider the preparation of personal directives to be a private and personal matter, similar to wills.
The department has started to work on communication materials and is arranging to train the health care professionals in the regional health and social services authorities about their responsibilities under this act.
I look forward to discussing Bill 7 with the members of the committee. Thank you, Madam Chair.