Bill 26 is now referred to committee for further consideration. Masi. Second reading of bills. Item 21, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Tobacco Tax Act; Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Education Act; Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Health and Social Services Professions Act; Bill 26, An Act to Amend the Revolving Funds Act, No. 2; Committee Report 10-18(2): Report on the Review of Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Education Act, with the Member for Hay River North in the chair.

I will now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Testart.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Committee would like to consider Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Health and Social Services Professions Act. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Testart. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. We will take a very brief five-minute break and resume. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

I will now call the Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Health and Social Services Professions Act, as amended and reprinted. I will ask the Minister responsible for the bill to introduce it. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to be here today to introduce Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Health and Social Services Professions Act. The current Health and Social Services Professions Act is an umbrella statute that will regulate a number of different health and social services professions. Before the act can come into force, amendments are required to address some oversights that were missed during the original drafting. These amendments were not identified until the department began developing the first profession-specific regulations.

The amendments addressing the oversights include:

● requiring professionals to maintain continuing competency records;

● authorizing the registrar to inspect, examine, or audit records to ensure a professional is fulfilling their continuing competency requirements; and

● authorizing the Minister to approve items such as exams, programs, and guidelines for each profession.

Since statutes cannot be repealed or revised by regulations, Bill 18 also proposes consequential amendments on behalf of the first two profession-specific regulations for emergency medical services providers and psychologists. Since a bill was required to address oversights and consequential amendments, the department took advantage of this opportunity to expand and clarify existing registers in the act and the information that should be disclosed to the public in relation to a complaints and discipline process.

These proposed amendments include:

● clarifying the information that must be included in the registrar's public register, including when the registrar places conditions on, suspends, or cancels a licence;

● expanding the information a complaints officer must record in their register to include the entire complaints and discipline process; and

● identifying what complaints and discipline information the complaints officer must direct the registrar to record in the public register.

Finally, amendments are proposed to restrict the use, collection, disclosure, and communication of personal health information throughout the act to ensure sensitive information is protected. Mr. Chair, I am happy to answer any questions Members may have.

Thank you, Minister. I will now turn to the Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Development, the committee that considered the bill, for any opening comments that he may have. Mr. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Standing Committee on Social Development conducted public hearings on Bill 18 on April 6th in Yellowknife, on April 10th in Inuvik, and April 12th in Hay River. A clause-by-clause hearing was held on May 25th on the bill and was subsequently amended and reprinted. Members may have additional comments, or we may proceed with the bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister, would you like to bring witnesses into the Chamber?

Yes, please.

Sergeant-At-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Minister, please introduce your witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On my right is Lisa Cardinal, the director of planning and evaluation with the Department of Health and Social Services, and on my left, Thomas Druyan, who is legislative counsel.

I'm sorry, Minister. Could you please repeat those names?

I went too fast? On my right is Lisa Cardinal. She is the director of corporate planning and evaluation; on my left is Thomas Druyan, who is legislative counsel.

Thank you, Minister. I open the floor to general comments. Do we have any general comments on Bill 18? Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair, and I beg forgiveness from the Minister here. I had a constituent complaint not that long ago from a veterinarian. Are veterinarians covered under this legislation? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.

No, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Anything further, Mr. O'Reilly? Nothing further for opening comments from Mr. O'Reilly. Anything further from committee? I see nothing. Does committee agree there are no further opening comments? Agreed.

Can we proceed to a clause-by-clause review of the bill? Thank you, committee. We will defer the bill number and title until after consideration of the clauses. Please turn to page 1 of the bill. I will call out each clause, and committee may respond "agreed" if committee agrees. Clause 1.

---Clauses 1 through 16 inclusive approved

Thank you, committee. Committee, to the bill of the whole, does the committee agree that Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Health and Social Services Professions Act as amended and reprinted, is now ready for third reading?