Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The 2011-2012 report of the NWT Information and Privacy Commissioner was recently tabled in the House, and I was particularly struck by the references within the report to complaints about the lack of privacy of our medical records. Not a new problem, as many people know. Only this time the problem was not with faxed records but with electronic medical records.

The Information and Privacy Commissioner reported on her very comprehensive investigation of a complaint about access to electronic medical records by health authority staff, a situation which was especially troubling for her. As a result, the 2011-12 report contains recommendations made with a view to improving access to the electronic medical records system to ensure that it works to allow better integration of services, at the same time allowing the individual client or the patient the right to control access to his or her most sensitive, personal information.

The Commissioner recommends that legislation be put in place to better deal with privacy issues around medical records. During my time here at the Ledge, there’s been talk of legislation, a new act, a Health Information Act to deal with just this problem, but to date we have nothing more to show than that: talk and an idea hanging in the wind. There’s still no indication from the Department of Health and Social Services as to when the legislation might be introduced.

The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, ATIPP, does not go far enough in the provision of privacy around health records. Too many health situations cannot be addressed through ATIPP. It’s well past the time for NWT legislation, which recognizes the right of the individual to informational privacy, privacy as defined by the Supreme Court of Canada and enshrined as a right in our Charter of Rights. A Health Information Act can ensure and enforce that privacy and it really must be made a priority.

I fully support the new technology in use in the NWT health system. Electronic medical records, properly managed, can significantly improve health services for our residents, but any access to electronic medical records must ensure, as stated by the Information and Privacy Commissioner, the patient’s right to determine for himself when, how and to what extent he will release personal information about himself. Not every employee in a health clinic needs access, nor should they have access to a patient’s full medical file.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted