Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.

Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried. Bill 28 has been read a second time and is referred to a standing committee of the Assembly for further consideration.

---Carried

Second reading of bills. Member from Range Lake.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Yellowknife Centre that Bill 29, First Responders Workers' Compensation Amendment Act, be read for a second time.

This bill proposes to make amendments to the Workers' Compensation Act that expands presumptive disease coverage for firefighter cancers and heart diseases and creates new presumptive disease coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder cases affecting first responders. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. The motion is in order. To the principle of bill. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first responders are the courageous men and women who go to work every day to put their lives on the line to keep us safe when we need it the most. This bill aims to create the most comprehensive workers' compensation coverage for firefighters in Canada by covering all types of cancer and heart disease.

The bill also gets rid of latency periods for these diseases and makes the sole requirement employment for two years in a fire department.

The bill also applies to full-time, part-time, and volunteer firefighters. The 24-requirement for presumptive coverage for cardiac arrest after an emergency response is also being eliminated.

The NWT and Nunavut are the only jurisdictions in Canada that do not provide presumptive coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder for all first responders. This bill will change that, if passed, making it easier for firefighters, nurses, police officers, paramedics, continuing care assistants, sheriffs, correction officers, emergency dispatch coordinators, and members of search and rescue organizations.

Mr. Speaker, the origin of this was a simple conversation. I attended the Yellowknife Fire Department to learn about their Wounded Warriors announcement where they would be working with that organization to provide support for first responders who were in crisis. We heard powerful stories that day. We also -- we live in this territory. We see these first responders every day, and we see their stories. We know them. And we certainly feel their loss when they are taken from us prematurely due to workplace illness that arises from their very difficult professions or the -- or mental illness, including PTSD, that comes from the tremendous strain they're under all the time.

That conversation led to looking at this legislation and seeing how this Assembly could work to help them to bring forward some comprehensive changes and catch up with the rest of Canada because, as I said, we're very -- Nunavut and Northwest Territories are the only jurisdictions without PTSD coverage, and this has been asked for for a period of time. But I'm not really interested in looking at the history of this. I would like to move forward instead.

The bill is before us now and proposes to do things that would make it, you know, world class in terms of its ability to care for first responders in our communities. This is getting ahead of some other jurisdictions, especially in regard to firefighters, that have made political commitments but haven't yet materialized as legislation. And I hope that this bill ultimately will pass. Of course, today we're just discussing sending it to a committee, but that this bill will eventually pass and will be an inspiration for other jurisdictions to do more for their first responders as well.

Another thing that we've done some media on this and talked about it already. One oversight we made was we forgot about search and rescue workers, those who are members of search and rescue organizations. I've spoken in this House about those great individuals, whether they be volunteer members of the armed forces or RCMP, search and rescue is a really crucial function that is vital to safeguarding Northerners from, you know, very challenging circumstances when they do go missing in our vast and often unforgiving territory. And this bill will make sure that those folks are taken care of as well if PTSD is something they are struggling with.

So I don't have many more comments than that. This bill is small but impactful, and I hope we can make a difference in people's lives. I don't want to see anyone come to harm, mental or physical or otherwise and certainly when that does happen, we need to be there for our first responders, and that's exactly what this bill aims do.

And I have a personal connection to this. I used to be a first responder. I was a sheriff for several years. My father was a volunteer firefighter for close to 30 years. So this has always been part of my family. And I've seen how stressful and difficult it can be and want to make sure that we take care of our first responders as best we can. So thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I hope we'll hear other Members step up and support this important initiative and, at the appropriate time, I would like to request a recorded vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Member from Hay River South.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to the second reading of Bill 29, First Responders Workers' Compensation Amendment Act, introduced by the Member for Range Lake.

On the onset, I want to express my deep respect and appreciation for the work of our first responders and firefighters. I know firsthand what this job entails and that these individuals -- and what these individuals face in traumatic events, dangerous conditions in their service and in our communities. After all, this is something I've done for 30 years.

Bill 29 proposes important amendments to the Workers' Compensation Act to establish presumptive coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder, for all first responders, to expand presumptive cancer and heart disease coverage for firefighters. I acknowledge the appreciation and the intent behind this bill, and I want to thank the Member for advancing this issue.

As mentioned in my May 21st email to the Member, this bill aligns with a broader discussion that has already started with the Workers' Compensation Commission regarding the enhanced presumptive coverage for firefighters and first responders in both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Mr. Speaker, in 2023, direction was provided to the Workers' Compensation and Safety Commission to begin work on the legislative proposal to expand presumptive coverage for firefighters, including additional cancers, types of cancers, and PTSD. Also in 2023, the Nunavut Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation and Safety Commission expressed support for this work, highlighting our shared commitment and modernization for the workers' compensation system in both territories.

Since then, the Workers' Compensation and Safety Commission has undertaken extensive research and completed an interjurisdictional review. As a result, a discussion paper is currently being finalized that outlines several policy options for expanding presumptive cancers and PTSD coverage. The intention is to engage with stakeholders in both territories during the summer and fall of 2025.

This engagement will be critical to ensuring that any changes to the Act are informed, effective, and reflective of stakeholder inputs. It is important to note that presumptive coverage streamlines access to benefits, PTSD and cancer diagnoses that are already presumptively covered can be and are often approved through the standard claims' adjudication process. The proposed engagement will include options to expand cancer coverage for firefighters to include nine additional types which would bring the total to 23, making it the most comprehensive presumptive cancer coverage in the country. Similarly, three distinct policies options are being presented for presumptive PTSD coverage for firefighters and other first responders.

Mr. Speaker, while we fully support the spirit of this bill, I must emphasize the importance of following legislative development process that supports our shared governance model with Nunavut. The Workers' Compensation and Safety Commission is a joint body serving both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut with matching legislative frameworks. Careful and considered coordination to align our legislative projects is essential. For the legislative amendments to move forward, they must be approved by both Cabinets before any drafting of bills can occur. This ensures the continued viability of our shared compensation system and an interjurisdictional partnership that is unique in Canada and a testament to our northern partners. Given the timing of the 2025 General Election, Nunavut has anticipated that the final legislative proposal will be ready to advance in early 2026.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I thank the Member from Range Lake for his advocacy on behalf of first responders. The work of this Assembly, in conjunction with the Workers' Compensation Commission and our Nunavut partners, will help ensure we provide appropriate and modern protection for those who protect us. I look forward to ongoing discussions on this matter and continue work that has already been started to ensure that the eventual legislation reflects both evidence-based policy and lived experiences of our first responders in our communities.

With that said, although we support the bill, we will be abstaining from this vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Hay River South. To the principle of the bill. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank my colleague from Range Lake for bringing this bill forward. Recently, Mr. Speaker, in Inuvik, we had a community feast held by the town of Inuvik for its first responders, the first of its kind in Inuvik, and it was a wonderful event and obviously the firefighters were there as well, and I was honoured to be able to speak and thank them on behalf of the residents of Inuvik Boot Lake and certainly the community of Inuvik as well.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I'm a bit of a poster child for first responders in the last three or four years having had -- in need of our amazing fire department in Inuvik and certainly the deep respect I have for what they do, Mr. Speaker, is -- you know, I can't put into words. Quite simply, they run into danger, Mr. Speaker, as we're running away from it and that's really, I think, all you need to say. With that, Mr. Speaker, I agree with everything that the Member from Range Lake had said, and I wholeheartedly support this bill. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. To the principle of the bill. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think support for this bill is very -- how do I put it -- it's very easy to give, and so I don't have a lot to say and to build upon what the Member already said what my colleague just said right now.

Mr. Speaker, quite simply, as put to me by one of the firefighters I was just chatting with, dealing with a cancer diagnosis or PTSD, the last thing that you want or need to be dealing with is advocating for yourself with the WSCC, and that's primarily what this bill is looking at, is just taking that stress away from the situation and knowing -- helping people focus on what really matters, on themselves, on their families, and on fighting illness. And so that's, I think -- I deeply appreciate the Member for Range Lake bringing this forward. I think I probably speak for many Members in that as well and appreciate the supportive comments from the Minister as well, and I'm very happy to support this. This is a very personal one that touches home for me and, yeah, I look forward to voting in favour of this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. To the principle of the bill. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. To the principle of the bill. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to also thank the Member from Range Lake for bringing this bill forward. This bill is very important to all communities in the Northwest Territories, in particular small communities, and we know the work that goes into this position of fighting the fires in the communities, etcetera, and so, no, Mr. Speaker, I don't have an issue with supporting this bill, and I just want to thank all the frontline workers that are here today and throughout the Northwest Territories. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. To the principle of the bill. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do support moving forward with this bill. Certainly, it's a change that first responders have been pushing for for many years, and I remember a discussion about this back when I was a city councillor at the city of Yellowknife as long as ten years ago, so it's been a concern for a long time. We know that first responders, including paramedics and firefighters, are exposed to disturbing and dangerous and sometimes traumatic things on a daily basis that most of us can't even imagine facing, and we know that as a whole, this group of responders suffers from mental and physical health struggles at a much greater rate than the rest of us, and I think that we know that both from statistics and trends and, you know, at a personal level with some of the people that we know. So I certainly support making NWT one of the leading jurisdictions in Canada with regard to our presumptive coverage and support. When first responders suffer from heart disease, any kind of cancer, or post-traumatic stress disorder, I think these are all necessary changes and we've -- yeah, we've been waiting for too long already. So I want to sincerely thank my colleagues for bringing this forward and for speeding up the timeline on this work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. To the principle of the bill. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First off, I want to thank union firefighter Chris Bittrolff for initiating this initiative, I guess I'll say it that way, by bringing it to my colleague from Range Lake. Once that dialogue got started, you know, it was easy to understand how important this particular initiative is. We tend to forget and just maybe sometimes take certain industries for granted. And it's no one's fault, which is you always know they'll be there when you need them, but sometimes we have to ask ourselves are we there when they need us. So, you know, as we hear the fire or the alarms or the sirens go by, you know, take that moment to pause for a second and say, you know, is there ways that we could be there for folks who are the first responders.

Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, first responders, that is a calling. I mean, I wish I could rise to that type of level. I acknowledge and say, tip my hat, to anyone who does. It is a demanding career. And I find it interesting where people join the career when they're young or join when they're late because they've always had the passion to do so, and I admire people who step up for something. Because the excess of challenges they face, the demands they face through any call, they know that these calls aren't literally struggling over a paper cut. These are calls that could go badly, terribly, and beyond, and then they have compounding affects that last not days, not weeks, months, years. And so this is an industry that people knowingly go into these careers, and I admire their strengths to do so, that they step up and face.

So when they're faced with challenges such as cancers beyond the current list or the concerns of PTSD, we have to ask ourselves what are we doing for them?. Again, they're there for us when we need them. The hesitation is not there. They fully throw themselves committed to the cause to be there. So we should be there to close the gap by helping enabling better coverage and step away from prescriptive coverage.

Now, the public may not appreciate what prescriptive coverage is, Mr. Speaker. And I'll just basically say the old method is, or technically the current method is, if it's on the list it's covered. But if it's not on the list, it's not covered. And that's where the burden starts.

Where do we want our friends or family members or community heros, our first responders, fighting? We want them fighting for us, and I want to be fighting for them. And I know everybody in this House wants to be fighting for them. So by shifting to enabling coverage means we allow people to put their energies. You know, God forbid, we've already heard about potentially one person, there may be more, who are struggling with cancer. I don't want their energy devoted to filling out forms, reading those, going to get another doctor saying another review. Is it covered? Can we link it? Like, it spends enormous amount of energy when you're faced with that Sisyphean task about trying to reach that point of finally someone saying yes. And sometimes people struggle, and the struggle takes over before the result and it comes too late. And for those, that's why this coverage means a lot. That's why it means a lot to my colleague from Range Lake. We work together with our colleague from Tu Nedhe because it matters both in Yellowknife, the regions, and the communities, such as our good colleagues.

This is drawing attention to sometimes a topic we don't want to talk about, but we should never be afraid of asking the question how can we support these people and our community that support us in a stronger way? We need to draw these types of attention. Sometimes they're uncomfortable conversations. Our gallery today, Mr. Speaker, is proof that this -- this bill means something to them. This is not getting them nicer t-shirts or a better wax on the fire truck, Mr. Speaker. This will change their lives. It may just mean emotionally which means they know we're here for them. But for those few, unfortunate few, that need this extra coverage, this will change their lives to the fact that proves that the system is working for them.

I won't wade in the conversation about how frustrating insurance can be. I mean, I'm sure that's not news to anybody in this building or anyone listening. But the fact is that we can do something here today, and we can demonstrate to this community of first responders that we will turn every stone over to ensure that they know they're appreciated, respected, and hopefully covered by the end of this process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. To the principle of the bill. Member from Monfwi.

Mr. Speaker, thank you. I, too, would support this bill. You know, in the past, many of our people pass on due to cancer. It's been well documented. Many, you know, work in unhealthy environment, especially mine, and in small communities we have only volunteer firefighters. And in the past, same thing with forest fire, but I know this bill is going to help with many of our volunteer forest -- firefighters in small communities so therefore I do support it, and I thank my colleague here for introducing this bill. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. To the principle of the bill.