Glen Abernethy

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 4, Health Information Act, be read for the second time.

This bill establishes rules regarding the collection, use, disclosure and security of personal health information that protects the confidentiality of the information and the privacy of the individuals that the information is about, while facilitating the effective provision of health services.

Consequential amendments are made to the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the Elections and Plebiscites Act, the Electronic Transactions Act, the...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 6, An Act to Amend the Medical Care Act, be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Medical Care Act to reflect the amendment made in the Canada Health Act respecting the eligibility of insured services of members of the RCMP.

Thank you. We always need more foster parents. We do work with the NWT Foster Family Coalition and provide them with some money so that they can continue to go out and advertise and encourage people to become foster parents. I think in 2013-14 we provided them with $172,000 to do that work to go out and recruit more. Short answer, we always could use some more loving, caring, dedicated, committed foster parents to support our youth. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 4, Health Information Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. As of September 1, 2013, there were 593 children receiving services under the Child and Family Services Act. Three hundred and two of these were in their parental homes, 20 have a provisional foster, 46 are in extended family foster, 137 are with regular foster parents, nine are in northern treatment, 41 are in southern treatment, 50 are in group homes, 13 are receiving support and living in room and board, and six are in adoptive homes. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That’s a fairly broad question. I could spend a significant amount of time talking about it. Foster families are an important resource and essential to the safety and well-being of children throughout the Northwest Territories who need that type of support. As the Member knows, and I think other Members know, our first priority is always to provide children with a foster home with extended family or friends where possible, but that doesn’t always work out and we do have to use unrelated foster families.

As of September 1, 2013, there were 203 youth or children in foster...

I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that Bill 6, An Act to Amend the Medical Care Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’ve been in this job for almost a week now and I’ve had a significant number of briefings, and that number is a number that I haven’t been briefed on yet. I think I know but I’d rather not throw out a number and be incorrect, so I will commit to getting the Member that information.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Recommendations from electoral boundaries commissions are binding in the following six jurisdictions: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Manitoba and Canada. This does not mean in these six jurisdictions the reports of the Electoral Boundaries Commission has always been accepted without objection. Two jurisdictions, New Brunswick and Canada, provide a formal mechanism to register objections with the commission. Although any objections must be considered by a commission, amendments to a commission’s proposal are not required.

In Quebec during the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Both prior to the interim report coming out and after the interim report came out, I had an opportunity to talk to constituents and residents across the Northwest Territories, to try to get a sense of what many people were thinking.

It is clear to me that what people want is better balance in the ridings through the Northwest Territories, including the under-represented areas of Yellowknife and Monfwi. We asked the commission to do something for us. We asked them to go out and provide recommendations on 18, 19 and 21, but we did provide a legal framework for them to do...