Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The 2011-2012 report of the NWT Information and Privacy Commissioner was recently tabled in the House, and I was particularly struck by the references within the report to complaints about the lack of privacy of our medical records. Not a new problem, as many people know. Only this time the problem was not with faxed records but with electronic medical records.
The Information and Privacy Commissioner reported on her very comprehensive investigation of a complaint about access to electronic medical records by health authority staff, a situation which was especially troubling for her. As a result, the 2011-12 report contains recommendations made with a view to improving access to the electronic medical records system to ensure that it works to allow better integration of services, at the same time allowing the individual client or the patient the right to control access to his or her most sensitive, personal information.
The Commissioner recommends that legislation be put in place to better deal with privacy issues around medical records. During my time here at the Ledge, there’s been talk of legislation, a new act, a Health Information Act to deal with just this problem, but to date we have nothing more to show than that: talk and an idea hanging in the wind. There’s still no indication from the Department of Health and Social Services as to when the legislation might be introduced.
The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, ATIPP, does not go far enough in the provision of privacy around health records. Too many health situations cannot be addressed through ATIPP. It’s well past the time for NWT legislation, which recognizes the right of the individual to informational privacy, privacy as defined by the Supreme Court of Canada and enshrined as a right in our Charter of Rights. A Health Information Act can ensure and enforce that privacy and it really must be made a priority.
I fully support the new technology in use in the NWT health system. Electronic medical records, properly managed, can significantly improve health services for our residents, but any access to electronic medical records must ensure, as stated by the Information and Privacy Commissioner, the patient’s right to determine for himself when, how and to what extent he will release personal information about himself. Not every employee in a health clinic needs access, nor should they have access to a patient’s full medical file.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Only some staff should have full access to medical records, doctors and nurse practitioners for instance. There is a demonstrated need for legislation to address privacy protection around health records, yet there’s been no progress on this act since the 16th Assembly.
I have to ask the Health Minister: When will Members see a Health Information Act presented in the House? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
MEMBER’S STATEMENT ON
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last month I’ve been to the Aurora College grad ceremony in Fort Smith and I’ve been to the one here in Yellowknife, and my hat’s off to the graduates, the instructors and to the Aurora College institution for graduating a fine round of people who are going to make a difference in their lives in the Northwest Territories.
As I sat there in the graduation, I was just imagining what it would be like to have a graduation at that type of magnitude in the Sahtu region for our own people. This is what I want to talk about.
The Sahtu needs a training centre now because of the excitement that I saw, feelings that I felt, and the words of the families and friends when they got up and received their diplomas.
Careers in trades offer a wealth of opportunities to people in these fields. As mineral and oil and gas development picks up across the North, the demand for skilled workers increases. Already there’s a shortage of skilled trades workers across Canada. Companies are competing to attract individuals with strong qualifications. Even within our own government we are, and still will be, in competition for these individuals.
In order for companies to reach the targets in socio-economic agreements, the Northwest Territories needs a healthy, educated and strong workforce which includes training in trades in our communities where people already make their lives and where the economics has huge potential for long-lasting and sustainable prosperity.
For example, training in workforce preparation was a major component of pipeline readiness when we talked about the Mackenzie Gas Project. It doesn’t look like the pipeline is happening in the near future, yet there are things that are there. Workforce training has a very high profile when you talk about the oil and gas readiness in the Sahtu. We want the same opportunities we see in mining activities in this area, no more and no less.
The Sahtu needs a training centre now because as oil and gas development starts to pick up, we need to be ready. For example, the school in Tulita offered a welding class this year. Students got to learn basic welding techniques and make simple projects. Courses like this could be offered in all the Sahtu schools in conjunction with a trade training centre. Students will be motivated when they have the opportunity to become qualified for trades at a local training centre.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Can you imagine a community that is self-sustaining and self-determining in its own right? Anything is possible when we believe in our people.
Our people are ready. We need to be ready. There are some great opportunities in the North. We’ve got to get a trade centre in the Sahtu now because we support our vision, a vision of the territory where strong individuals, families and communities share the benefits and responsibilities of a unified, environmentally sustaining and prosperous territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
