Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are to the Minister of WCB and it’s with regard to what he said yesterday on the WCB’s opening of the door of sorts, that they are looking at changing, finally, the policy on chronic pain which would allow benefits of permanent/partial disability. He’s saying, on page 884, that they have to look specifically…The thing I am having trouble with is WCB is again having to consult. I think it’s a good thing to consult, but at a certain point when a Minister and the corporation and the Board of Governors who haven’t been given the powers under the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will be very brief, but I'm thinking that I was not very clear on one aspect, which was that the feedback that I'm getting from my constituents are that there is no need for new Members and I understand that position. It's just that if there is any addition in another area, that the voting parity for the Yellowknife residents have to be increased comparably. So for that reason, I am supporting this motion, as I've said already.

Also, I really believe strongly that this is not an argument about whether or not 19 people represent 42,000 people well, or whether...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board.

Would the Minister responsible for the WCB work with the Minister of Justice and bring forward to this House a legislative proposal that would amend or repeal the offending provision of the Workers' Compensation Board Act dealing with the Minister's powers relative to the WCB ratepayers fund within this Assembly?

If the Minister chooses not to bring forward the legislative proposal, would he provide the justification as to why he will not during this current session?

Thank you...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister, will the Premier, will the council, get legal on chronic pain policy, change the policy to meet with the Valic decision? They cannot be illegal any longer, and I apply that to the Minister of Justice, too.

…or he should resign.

Mr. Speaker, I have to tell you that this government, this council and this Minister is on the verge of being negligent. It’s illegal not to have that policy. Now, how could they use the power of the office of the Auditor General to dither? Mr. Speaker, that didn’t apply to cases where there is a Supreme Court of Canada decision and a Supreme Court of the NWT decision that says what you are doing is discriminatory. This is outrageous, Mr. Speaker. He said, on page 884, and I quote: “The current policy, 3.10, does not specifically list permanent partial disability...”. That’s a problem. You...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of WCB indicated in the House that the Board of Governors of the WCB is planning on changing the policy on chronic pain, more specifically that the board is looking at allowing those suffering from chronic pain due to workplace injury to be eligible for permanent partial disability. Mr. Speaker, even though I have to learn this by listening in on the third-party exchange, I feel like ‘Desperately Seeking Susan’. I was so desperate for good news I was jumping up and down for joy because I thought after all these years it was an opening...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just for the record, I just want to state my position on this motion. I would also like to thank the Member for Monfwi, and I'd also like to thank the Member for Great Slave. I know they have been working very closely to get a consensus in this regard. I mean we all worked on it, but I'd like to especially mention them.

I think we're having very good discussions here and I have to tell you that given the will of the House that just has been shown where the motion to accept the commission's recommendation has been defeated, I think that the picture is quite clear...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d like to put on record my position on this bill as well. Madam Chair, I would like to start by thanking the commission and the commission members along with all the other Members for the work that they have done. I’d like to say, for the record, that I am not in support of the bill as it’s written as it suggests keeping a status quo of 19 Members plus redrawing some of the borders. So I will not be supporting it unless it’s amended to reflect the commission’s report.

Madam Chair, let me just say that the reason why I take this position is because I believe that it...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What is it exactly stopping the Minister to write that directive?