Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that Bill 19, Donation of Food Act, be read for the second time.
Bill 19 provides that a person who donates food or distributes donated food is not liable for disease, injury, death or other harm resulting from the consumption of that food unless the person intended to harm the recipient or acted recklessly in donating or distributing the food. Similar provisions apply to the directors, agents, employees and volunteers of corporations involved in the donation or distribution of food. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The motion is on the floor. To the principle of the bill. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate that my colleagues would like to hear “question,” but I have a few comments that I’d like to make first. I’d like to just say at the outset that I am totally in support of this bill. I think it would be a little strange if anybody realized that I was not.
Many of us have known for quite some time that perfectly good food often goes to waste. Usually it goes to the community dump, generally due to policies and standards established by food businesses and restaurants. We also see an awful lot of food that goes to waste because we have too much food and too few attendees at any number of social functions.
Some people seeing this need have started to rescue that food, ensure that it is fit for consumption and then pass it on to needy organizations. In Yellowknife the Salvation Army and the Centre for Northern Families are a couple of recipients, as examples.
This bill will enable this good work to continue, and it will allow a fledgling program in Yellowknife to expand well beyond its current size. That will be to the benefit of all residents of the NWT at some point in time. They will provide liability protection to persons or organizations who donate or distribute rescued food.
Lastly, I am in support of the bill, and I would ask for the support of all Members of this House.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. To the principle of the bill. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank my colleague Ms. Bisaro for bringing this bill forward. I also support it. We live in a day and age when few have much, and there is a segment of our population, in fact of our world, that has very little. This is an opportunity, I believe, to share in a meaningful way.
I was raised in a family business, which was a grocery store and meat market. We had a big family to take stuff home to when it was past its best before date. Many times there’s really nothing wrong with these things, yet merchants and food outlets cannot sell things beyond a certain date — really perfectly good food that just is overripe. It’s a shame. It’s an absolute shame in our society to see such things go to waste. So to bring forward a progressive piece of legislation like this that would allow people to have their needs met with something which otherwise would be thrown out is very encouraging to me. I wholeheartedly support this legislation.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. To the principle of the bill. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also rise to support my colleague Ms. Bisaro, and I was very pleased to second this bill. I think this is really all about respect. It’s all about doing business in a different way. We spend a lot of energy to get food up into our country here from afar, and to be throwing away two-thirds of the food is really disrespectful. It’s a waste of energy, and it doesn’t provide a good example to our people.
I also would like to recognize that this is a good example of the public responding to a situation, bringing it to our attention and working hard. I am always very happy to respond to their initiatives. I hope this government is too.
Just my kudos for bringing this bill to this stage. I’m looking forward to supporting it.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. To the principle of the bill. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, am going to support the bill. I want to thank Ms. Bisaro for bringing it forward and Ms. Trudel, who through her hard work and determination has pushed this thing forward.
It’s legislation that is commonplace in other jurisdictions across this country. It’s something that I think the Northwest Territories, in passing legislation like this, will be getting with the times.
I feel that far too much food is wasted. As my colleague Mr. Bromley alluded to, it costs a tremendous amount of money to ship food to the Northwest Territories in the first place, and what food we do get here should get into the hands of those who need it most. This legislation is designed to protect those people who are going to donate the food. I think it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
Again, I want to thank both the mover and the seconder and also Ms. Trudel for her hard work in this initiative. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. To the principle of the bill. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, rise to support this bill and to thank Ms. Trudel as well for bringing this to our attention and being the champion for this in the public.
Waste is an unfortunate by-product of how business is conducted, and I feel that this bill will offer businesses a level of comfort so they feel comfortable and safe in providing this food. I think this is a good idea. I think this is going to offer an awful lot of support to those people in the community who need it. I think it’s a good bill.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. To the principle of the bill. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Minister of Health and Social Services and on behalf of the government I would just like to put it on record that the government supports this bill. We have indicated that support to the Member in other venues, and we make the commitment that we’ll work with the Member to make sure that the details are worked out and supported by the Department of Health as we move forward.
I believe I’ll be making a formal presentation at the consultation process in committee, but I just wanted to put that on the record.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. To the principle of the bill. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In brief, I just want to say I’ll be supporting the bill. This represents protection for those who have community spirit. Again, this creates some type of generosity and certainly provides them the protection to do that. In that regard, I see it as a decent step forward for community minded individuals who want to help out in the ways they can.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Bill 19 has had second reading.
Motion carried; Bill 19, Donation of Food Act, read a second time and referred to a standing committee.
Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2009–2010, Tabled Document 93-16(2), and Minister’s Statement 80-16(2), sessional statement; with Mr. Krutko in the chair.
