Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Health and Social Services provide details on the work done to date by this government on regulations for physician-assisted dying? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last June, we formed a partnership with the other provinces and territories and we actually had an expert advisory group pulled together to go out and do some research and analysis on physician-assisted dying. That report has been made available. We have had a number of discussions at the FPT level to see what other jurisdictions are doing so that we could have as coordinated an approach as possible. At the same time, earlier this calendar year, we actually went out for a public call for information and feedback from residents across the Northwest Territories. We sent letters to a large number of different stakeholders to seek guidance on what we should do here in the Northwest Territories with respect to facilitating physician-assisted dying. Later this week, I have a meeting with the NWT Medical Association here to have some further discussions on that as we move forward with a June 6, 2016 target date. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister commit to releasing the details of that public consultation with the members of the Standing Committee on Social Development, and as a public document as well? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the expert advisory panel report that was done for the provinces and territories is already public. As far as the information we receive from different stakeholders, we are going to consolidate all that information as we move forward with putting in some interim measures that will come into effect on June 6. I will certainly be having a discussion with Members on what we have heard and where we are going prior to June 6. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, I was referring to the northern stakeholder information that was gathered by the government. If the Ministry could also detail what is the government's plan for moving forward on physician-assisted dying in the Northwest Territories following the June 6 deadline? I am looking for specifics, please.
We won't know what the federal legislation looks like until it is passed. We anticipate that it will be passed on June 6, which means we will have to be in a position to facilitate physician-assisted dying here in the Northwest Territories. Now that we have pulled together some information from stakeholders across Northwest Territories, we have the expert panel's report, we also have the report that was prepared for the federal government, and we also know that a number of the different provincial colleges of physicians are doing a significant amount of work on this. We are going to pull all that information together and, shortly, we are going to be pulling together a steering committee of key stakeholders here in the Northwest Territories that are going to help advise what our interim measures should be for June 6.
We anticipate that there is going to be some legislative requirements here in the Northwest Territories to help facilitate this in the long term, but we won't know what those are until we actually see the federal legislation. Our first step here is to put the steering committee together, get some interim measures that we can put in place so that we can facilitate respectful, choice-based, physician-assisted dying here in the Northwest Territories on June 6, and then move forward through the legislative process once we know what the federal legislation looks like.
I would like to thank the Minister for providing those details and showing that the government has done quite a bit of work on this. That’s appreciated. I trust that the government will continue to work with the committee moving forward. This is an issue that is very important and on the minds of many Northerners. I think there is a lot of concern on the part of our communities, and we need to do the best job we can at making people understand what options are available to them and what choices they can now take with it comes to end-of-life care. I look forward to the Minister continuing to work with federal and provincial colleagues and this side of the House.
Masi. I will take that as a comment. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have some additional questions for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. I appreciate her offer to brief this side of the House on the plan with respect to housing the members of the RCMP and in which communities. I guess my more general question on this, at this point, is: What is the benefit to the NWT Housing Corporation of taking on the provision of housing to members of the RCMP? Thank you.
Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As previously stated in my answers, the benefit of the Housing Corporation taking on this initiative is that we will retain RCMP officers within the communities and we can use the market rent that we will be charging them to subsidize the operating maintenance costs to the public housing considering that the CMHC funding will be dissolving. Thank you.
Thank you to the Minister for that. Could the Minister elaborate on the additional revenue that will be realized through the provision of this housing? To what extent will it subsidize public housing in those same communities?
Currently, it costs about $18,000 to $20,000 a year to provide the operating and maintenance provision for public housing. For every unit that we rent out, we would be able to support that cost.
I am looking forward to some additional detail on that, especially as it relates to which communities the housing is going to be provided in. The Housing Corporation staff have said that there will be absolutely no effect of the provision of housing to the RCMP on the current waiting list for social housing. Can she confirm that that is the case?
As stated earlier, the initiative is not to displace public housing. It is a revenue source to be able to supplement the public housing. I also can give you some information on the federal units that the RCMP had. At this point, the federal government is saying that they’re beyond repair for them to make them financially viable. They will be offering them out to market. If they are not taken up by the market within the communities, then they’ll send them to negotiations with the Housing Corporation.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Will the Minister meet with the college student body at Thebacha campus in Fort Smith? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do appreciate the work that all our staff do on all campuses and the important supports that we have for our students. When time permits, we would like to get into the campuses and meet with the staff, meet with students, keep up to date with the Board of Governors. Yes. We can work on scheduling a time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following two documents entitled “Annual Report to the Legislative Assembly for 2015 under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act” and “The Waste Reduction and Recovery Program for 2014-2015 Annual Report.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Tabling of documents. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table to following document entitled “The Northwest Territories Long-Term Care Program Review, Final Report, December 2015.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents.
Pursuant to Section 5 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, I wish to table the “Summary of Members' Absences for the Period of December 17, 2015 to February 17, 2016.”
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 2, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2015-16, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. The motion is in order. The motion is not debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion is carried.
---Carried
Bill 2 has had its first reading. First reading of bills. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that Bill 3, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operation Expenditures), No. 3, 2015-2016 be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Bill 3. The motion is in order. The motion is non-debatable. All those in favour. All those opposed. Motion is carried.
---Carried
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, be read for the second time. This bill amends the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act to establish a two-year freeze on any upward adjustment of the indemnities payable to Members under Parts 1 and 2 of Schedule C. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Bill 1. To the principle of the bill.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Bill 1 has had a second reading. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 74(2) and have Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, moved into Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to waive Rule 74(2) and have the bill referred to Committee of the Whole. Are there any nays? There are no nays. The bill is moved to the Committee of the Whole. Second reading of bills. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South that Bill 2, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2015-2016, be read for the second time. Mr. Speaker, this bill makes supplementary appropriations for infrastructure expenditures for the Government of Northwest Territories for the 2015-2016 fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
