Thank you. The Standing Committee on Social Programs is pleased to provide its Report on the Review of Bill 44: An Act to Amend the Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act, and commends it to the House.

Introduction

Bill 44, An Act to Amend the Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act, will allow for the transformation of the health and social services system. It will require the Minister to establish a single strategic plan for the Northwest Territories and allow the Minister to establish an integrated territorial authority by amalgamating the regional health and social services authorities and Stanton Territorial Health Authority. The bill includes transitional provisions to bring the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority into the public service at a later date. It also includes provisions pertaining to critical incidents.

The committee congratulates the Minister for developing the bill. It is the product of sustained efforts by the Department of Health and Social Services and key stakeholders. In broad terms, system transformation is intended to address inefficiencies, correct inconsistencies in the management of financial and human resources, and create less fragmented experiences for patients and clients.

Bill 44 was referred to the committee on February 10, 2015. The public hearing with the Minister was held on April 20, 2015. The clause-by-clause review was held on June 1, 2015. During the clause-by-clause review, the committee passed nine motions to amend the bill, with the Minister’s agreement. These amendments are discussed below.

In its review of Bill 44, the committee heard from many stakeholders, including the Northwest Territories Information and Privacy Commissioner; the Union of Northern Workers (UNW) under the affiliation of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC);

UNW Local 21, which represents

employees at the Hay River Health and Social

Services Authority,

the Tlicho Community Services

Agency, the K’atlodeeche First Nation, the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society, the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, the Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission, and dozens of private residents who attended public meetings.

The committee held public meetings in Yellowknife, Ndilo, Hay River, K’atlodeeche First Nation (Hay River Reserve), Fort Simpson, Behchoko, Deline, Inuvik and Aklavik. Poor weather prevented the committee from flying to Fort Liard and

Tuktoyaktuk

as planned. During the two-week itinerary, Members also heard from residents about Bill 47, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act.

While Bill 44 generated some negative commentary, the feedback was generally positive. Where serious concerns were raised, the committee typically sought to address them through amendments. The remainder of this report outlines these key concerns and associated amendments. The concluding section includes recommendations for additional courses of action.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to turn the reading of the report over to my colleague Mr. Dolynny.