Debates of March 6, 2023 (day 146)

Date
March
6
2023
Session
19th Assembly, 2nd Session
Day
146
Members Present
Hon. Diane Archie, Hon. Frederick Blake Jr., Hon. Paulie Chinna, Ms. Cleveland, Hon. Caroline Cochrane, Mr. Edjericon, Hon. Julie Green, Mr. Jacobson, Mr. Johnson, Ms. Martselos, Ms. Nokleby, Mr. O’Reilly, Ms. Semmler, Hon. R.J. Simpson, Mr. Rocky Simpson, Hon. Shane Thompson, Ms. Weyallon Armstrong
Topics
Statements

Minister’s Statement 326-19(2): Worker’s Safety and Compensation Commission’s Five-year Priorities and Direction

Mr. Speaker, with the new year ahead of us, I am pleased to highlight the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission's new strategic plan, Paths Towards Safety 2023–2027, which is available for everyone to view on the WSCC's website. This document, along with the ongoing input from employers, partners, and workers, will guide the Commission's work over the next five years. Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission's mission is to promote workplace health and safety while providing nofault insurance to employers and care for injured workers. The new strategic plan provides a roadmap of how the WSCC will move forward by identifying the short, medium, and longterm goals during the fiveyear strategic cycle.

WSCC's three priority areas are:

Advancing safety outcomes to eliminate workplace disease and injuries. WSCC has an ongoing commitment to support safe workplaces, to continuously raise awareness of safety rights and responsibilities of both workers and employers, and to prevent and reduce workplace accidents and injuries.

Delivering quality services by enhancing processes and empowering staff to provide timely, accessible, understandable, effective, and culturally safe services and clear communication to northerners. Quality services incorporate WSCC's organizational values of respect, engagement, integrity, openness, cultural safety, excellence, and stewardship, are a foundation of our mission. And,

Ensuring financial sustainability so that every injured worker is cared for now and into the future. The WSCC maintains the workers' protection fund, which covers injured worker claims costs by using a fiscally responsible funding mechanism that is fair to all employers.

A high level of transparency, accountability, and engagement is critical to the success of the Commission's work. Each section of this plan describes the performance measures that shows progress. WSCC will use these measures to guide their annual corporate planning process and to report on progress each year.

There is no single path to achieve the WSCC's vision to eliminate workplace disease and injury. However, Paths Towards Safety represents that many different approaches that they take to make workplaces safer every day, as well as the diverse paths many employers across all communities in the Northwest Territories take to improve the safety culture at each worksite. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.