Does committee agree that Bill 65, An Act to Amend the Safety Act, is ready for third reading?
Agreed.
Bill 65 is now ready for third reading. Thank you, witnesses. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses out of the room. Thank you, Mr. Lafferty.
Thank you, committee. The last bill before us today is Bill 68, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, No. 2. We’ll begin by going to the Minister responsible. Minister Abernethy, do you have opening comments?
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.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Mr. Abernethy, do you have witnesses to bring into the Chamber?
Yes, I do.
Agreed?
Agreed.
Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.
Mr. Abernethy, could you introduce your witnesses, please.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. On my left is Cherie Jarock, who is legislative counsel, and on my right is Debbie DeLancey, deputy minister, Department of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Committee, we’ll open up general comments on Bill 68. Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to thank the Minister and the department for working very fast on a recommendation from committee in regards to moving the child and family services committees.
This was a pretty long bill that’s been in the Legislative Assembly for many years and many governments, and when committee took it out and heard from the communities, there was concern that we were putting more responsibilities on the CFS committee and the communities. We also heard that there was only one that was actually working and that actually stopped all together, and I know people were concerned in terms of remuneration or compensation for members on the child and family services committees. They thought that there should have been something put forward. But like I said, there was only one community that had a successful working committee at one time but had stopped all together.
Just listening from the communities and listening from some of the front-line staff as well as some of the community leaders, standing committee thought it would be a good recommendation to remove all child and family services committees from this bill and just appreciate the work that the department went to and removed them. Just looking through the bill, there were a lot of areas that it needed to be removed from.
I just wanted to make those comments.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. I’ll take that as general comments. I’ll go to Ms. Bisaro next.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My comments are similar to those of my colleague Mr. Moses.
My experience has been that the child and family services committees have not worked, much as the department tried quite valiantly at the beginning of this Assembly to try and get them going. They are a great idea, but if they’re not working, we shouldn’t have them. When we were in a hearing with the Minister, the suggestion was made that maybe we shouldn’t have child and family services committees, to which the Minister responded and this bill is the result of that.
I think there needs to be some monitoring as we make this change. I think there has to be a watchful eye, I think, kept on things by the department to ensure that something, some kind of I don’t want to say program, but that something replaces the child and family services committee or what they were intended to do. We can’t just take them out and not replace it with something or other. But certainly the committees weren’t working, so I’m pleased to see this has been brought forward.
I guess I’d like to also echo the comments about thanks to the Minister and to the staff for getting this done before the end of this Assembly. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. I’ll take those as general comments as well. Does committee agree we’ll go clause by clause?
Agreed.
There are a number of clauses, 15 clauses in total. We’ll go in groups of five.
Agreed.
Clauses 1 to 5.
---Clauses 1 through 15 inclusive approved
Does committee agree we have concluded Bill 68, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, No. 2?
Agreed.
The bill as a whole?
Agreed.
Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses out of the Chamber.
Bill 68 is now ready for third reading. I will go to Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.
---Carried
I will rise and report progress.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 324-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2015-2016; Bill 56, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2015; Bill 59, Estate Administration Law Amendment Act; Bill 62, An Act to Amend the Coroners Act; Bill 63, An Act to Amend the Victims of Crime Act; Bill 64, An Act to Amend the Co-operative Associations Act; Bill 69, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, No. 2; Bill 45, An Act to Amend the Workers’ Compensation Act; Bill 49, An Act to Amend the Deh Cho Bridge Act; Bill 60, An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act, No. 2; Bill 61, An Act to Amend the Public Airports Act; Bill 65, An Act to Amend the Safety Act; Bill 68, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, No. 2, and would like to report progress with five motions being adopted and that Bills 56, 62, 63, 69, 45, 49, 60, 61, 65 and 68 are ready for third reading and that Bill 59 and 64 are now ready for third reading as amended and that consideration of Tabled Document 324-17(5) is concluded and that the House concur in those estimates and that an appropriation bill to be based thereon be introduced without delay. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Do I have a seconder? Mr. Moses.
---Carried
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Bill 71, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2015-2016, be read for the third time.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. Motion is carried.
---Carried
Orders of the day for Wednesday, October 7, 2015, at 1:30 p.m.:
Prayer
Ministers’ Statements
Members’ Statements
Returns to Oral Questions
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to Opening Address
Petitions
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
Motions
Motion 50-17(5), Medical Travel Policy
First Reading of Bills
Bill 48, An Act to Amend the Mental Health Act
Second Reading of Bills
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bill 54, An Act to Amend the Forest Management Act
Minister’s Statement 221-17(5), Sessional Statement
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Bill 45, An Act to Amend the Workers’ Compensation Act
Bill 49, An Act to Amend the Deh Cho Bridge Act
Bill 56, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2015
Bill 59, Estate Administration Law Amendment Act
Bill 60, An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act, No. 2
Bill 61, An Act to Amend the Public Airports Act
Bill 62, An Act to Amend the Coroners Act
Bill 63, An Act to Amend the Victims of Crime Act
Bill 64, An Act to Amend the Co-operative Associations Act
Bill 65, An Act to Amend the Safety Act
Bill 68, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, No. 2
Bill 69, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, No. 2
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Wednesday, October 7th, at 1:30 p.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 8:17 p.m.
