Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Corporate Culture
While the report provided many recommendations that will help to make the workers' compensation system more effective and responsive, the nature of audit did not allow for it to deal directly with the WCB's corporate culture, which the committee believes is at the root of many of the concerns of injured workers and their families. Members have heard that from the perspective of at least some of the clients, the WCB has an unfriendly, fortress-like atmosphere, where workers and family members feel like they are treated with suspicion from the moment they walk in the door. The one employer who spoke at our public hearings also expressed concern with how workers are treated, and stated categorically, "we don't authorize, permit, support WCB being ruthless of what claims it supports. ... We want workers to be taken care of. ... We want them to be rehabilitated, we want them to be compensated, and we want it to be done quickly and expediently. ... We will pay for that."
Recommendation
The standing committee recommends the Minister direct the Governance Council to overhaul its reception protocols, security practices and client and public relations functions to provide a more accessible and responsive level of service.
When we asked the workers' advisor about his impression of the WCB's corporate culture, in our view, he captured the issue when he said, "I believe that at some point in the last 20 years, managing the accident fund has taken a greater priority than managing the legislation." As the workers' advisor went on to point out, the fault does not lie with any individual WCB staff, who are, after all, doing what they have been trained to do. This is an institutional problem which the organization as a whole needs to commit to fixing.
We were concerned after discussing the WCB's corporate culture with the Governance Council that some of the council members seemed to have the impression that what we are effectively asking is for them to always say
"yes." The committee understands that not all claimants have a compensable injury that can easily and readily be diagnosed and processed. Likewise, the committee recognizes that not all employers are always right in their demands. In some cases the answer will have to be "no." We would like to make it clear that our expectation is not for the WCB to always say "yes," but for them to treat all claimants and clients in a timely and professional manner, in compliance with legislation and consistent with best medical and legal practice, whether their claim is ultimately approved or not.
The committee believes that the improvements to staff training, communications, and the policy development process recommended by the Auditor General, when implemented, will help to improve clients' experiences with the WCB. However, we also believe that more is needed to reorient the WCB to a customer service focus. The WCB has a mandate not only to manage the accident fund, but also to assist injured workers and their families.
The obligation the board has to the families of injured workers cannot be underestimated. The committee was especially moved by accounts it heard from workers, and their spouses, of the pain and turmoil suffered by families when workers -- most often the key family providers -- lose their jobs and, over time, their sense of worth and value to themselves, their families, their fellow workers, and their communities.
Recommendation
The standing committee recommends that mandatory orientation and training be implemented for all new employees before they are allowed to engage clients. The committee further recommends ongoing professional development be programmed for each employee, manager, executive and member of the Governance Council and Appeal Tribunal, and documented and reported annually, as a key component of performance measurement.
This duty to assist should be stated clearly in the Workers' Compensation Act. As the workers' advisor suggested, it is perhaps time to also supplement the Meredith principles, which are the foundation of our workers' compensation system, with new concepts that are needed for the 21st Century. While it is impossible to legislate compassion and good customer service, the committee believes a clearer articulation of the WCB's mandate would provide guidance and help to set an appropriate tone for the corporate culture.
The committee stresses that the Workers Compensation Board has a unique role as our society's lawful, mandatory and sole worker insurance program. As such, when injury and job-related illness occurs, the worker deserves the board's fullest consideration, compassion and support services. We expect our WCB to do more, and do better, for injured workers in the NWT and Nunavut. They expect it, and their employers pay for it.
Recommendation
The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight recommends the government introduce amendments to the Workers' Compensation Act that set out the WCB's mandate, including its duty to assist injured workers, in clear terms.
Mr. Speaker, I would now like to pass the floor over to my colleague Mr. Yakeleya. Mahsi.