Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wanted to make a couple of comments on this bill. This is a huge bill, and when we first got a copy of the bill it was rather daunting. It’s about an inch and a half, two inches thick. We don’t get very many bills that are that large. It’s appreciated, I think, by Members certainly, the amount of work that the department first and the Minister second has put into this bill. It’s been a number of Ministers, I think, that have put time into this bill. It’s been some seven or 10 years in the making. It needs to be appreciated that this is a bill that has been needed for a very long time but it has been thoroughly vetted, I think, over a great deal of time. I think the work that has been done on this bill has been really good. Over the years I think things have changed a little bit here, and there and over the years as our technology has improved, I think the bill has changed to adapt to our technology as well.

I did have a number of concerns. They have been raised all along and I just want to mention them. I think that they certainly reflect my concerns but also the concerns of some of the public, but I think that they have been answered to the satisfaction of most people by the explanations from the Minister and from his staff as we discussed the bill and as we did a clause-by-clause review.

I do want to thank the Minister and staff for coming before committee more than once. Generally, we only sort of see Minister and staff once when we’re dealing with a bill, but it was a couple of times that

we went through this and it really helped us with our understanding and in getting through the technical aspect of this particular bill.

One of the things for me that partly is still a concern is implied consent, and whenever anyone goes to visit a health professional, just the fact that you’re going there suggests that you are giving consent for your health information to be used. I think there is a lot of training that is going to be required for health professionals. There’s also going to be a lot of learning on the part of the general public. I, as a patient, have to learn what it is I’m giving consent to and I have to understand what expressed consent means and when I can give it, why I might want to give it. There’s going to be a very long period, and I think it’s going to be at least a year, maybe longer for some people, depending upon how often they access the health system, for them to understand this new situation and when consent is being given or when you should expressly withhold your consent. Like I say, I think that’s generally been answered in our conversations with the Minister and staff, but it is going to be a learning process over time.

The term “circle of care” is one that stresses people out a little bit, I think, because it’s not totally understood. Over the course of our conversations, I think Members did come to understand that circle of care means the people that need to know your health information in order to treat you, and in some cases it will be a large group of people, and in some cases it will be small group of people, but that again is something which residents are going to have to learn.

Another concern that came up from the public was the security of data. With so much data and so much technology now, we have to be really careful that our data is very secure. It was also a concern about data being secure when it leaves our jurisdiction and goes to another one. We have a lot of agreements with health care in Alberta, and our data, therefore, is going to have to go from the NWT to Alberta. That was a concern, but again I think that’s something that the Minister and the department is aware of and I think it will be dealt with when we get to the point where we’re actually dealing with those sorts of things.

Lastly, there was a concern about fees, and the way the act reads it suggests that I would have to pay for my own health information, my own file. I think we were comforted with the fact that personal information, the fees would be waived for me to access my own personal file, but were I to request it once a week for three years, I certainly would end up paying for it, or if I were to request a huge amount of documents I would end up paying a fee for it. I feel comfortable that although the act reads that a fee would be charged, that the regulations

will probably indicate that, no, fees are not charged if you’re just accessing your own health information.

I want to mention that there were two amendments that were requested by committee. We put them before the Minister and the Minister did agree, and I think committee needs to indicate their appreciation for that. I also want to point out the recommendations that are in the committee report that was tabled today, I hope that the Minister looks at those carefully. Looks at those and considers those and will attempt to implement as many of those recommendations or suggestions, whatever you want to call them, as many as possible.

This has been a tough act to work our way through. I think we’re all kind of glad that we’re at the end of it because it’s such a big act and it’s so very technical, but it’s great to have this piece of legislation here and done and ready to be put into place because it’s badly needed. Thank you, Mr. Chair. That’s it.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Committee, we’re taking general comments on Bill 4. Mr. Yakeleya.

I just wanted to let the Minister know that, as Ms. Bisaro said, this is a really huge, complex information act and, like I’ve said to the Minister sometimes, it’s communication, communication, communication in our languages in our small communities and make sure that people like grannie from Nahanni can understand. When they walk into the health centre that they know that they’re not just still going there for aspirins but they’re also going to be bringing other information for them that she needs to know what it’s all about. The legislation is not coming into effect for a while, but that gives you a lot of heads-up there.

Thank you for the work of the staff and for the people that came before us in our public hearings. We’re now entering into a new era of health care and a lot of communication is coming to us. The good old days of going to the health centre and getting an aspirin or a bandage are long gone. It’s now more complex and technical, so good luck with it. Thanks, Minister, for your hard work and the staff.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. General comments.

Does committee agree we go into detail?

We’ll go in groups of 25 clauses, if committee agrees.

Clauses 1 to 25.

---Clauses 1 through 25 inclusive approved

Clauses 26 to 50.

---Clauses 26 through 50 inclusive approved

Clauses 51 to 75.

---Clauses 51 through 75 inclusive approved

Clauses 76 to 100.

---Clauses 76 through 100 inclusive approved

Clauses 101 to 125.

---Clauses 101 through 125 inclusive approved

Clauses 126 to 150.

---Clauses 126 through 150 inclusive approved

Clauses 151 to 175.

---Clauses 151 through 175 inclusive approved

Clauses 176 to 200.

---Clauses 176 through 200 inclusive approved

Clauses 201 to 208.

---Clauses 201 through 208 inclusive approved

Bill as a whole?

Does committee agree that Bill 4, Health Information Act, is now ready for third reading?

---Bill 4 as a whole approved for third reading

Thank you, Minister. Thank you, witnesses. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses out of the Chamber. Thank you.

What is the wish of committee? Ms. Bisaro.

Mr. Chair, I move that we report progress.

---Carried

I will now rise and report progress.