Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m pleased to be here to discuss Bill 68, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, No. 2. Bill 68 proposes to remove the child and family services committees from the act. These amendments were initiated by a recommendation made by the Standing Committee on Social Programs in their Committee Report 18-17(5), Report on the Review of Bill 47, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, where the Department of Health and Social Services was encouraged to act immediately and introduce a bill to remove all provisions pertaining to the child and family services committees.
Before moving forward with the bill, the department carefully reviewed the legislation to ensure no other provisions would be unduly affected. Important processes and services such as an early intervention, plan of care committees and agreements, and the future inclusion of mediation will continue under the act. Child and family services committees were designed as a way to involve communities in child protection matters; however, despite many efforts, child and family services committees could not be successfully established in the Northwest Territories. Removing the child and family services committees from the act provides the department with an opportunity to strengthen its focus on involving communities through the use of existing provisions such as through the inclusion of additional members on the plan of care committee or working in partnerships with community government bodies or Aboriginal governments.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Standing Committee on Social Programs for their contribution to this bill, and I would be pleased to answer any questions that committee may have.