Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, as we’ve heard, quality of water is one that does come up from time to time in communities and the safety of that supply is something that we can get involved with once this act, it clarifies the process and the rules we all operate by. Ultimately, as we’ve heard from other sources as well, that the piped water, once it goes through the plant, is filtered and takes out contaminants and supplies a quality of water that is acceptable by national standards. If we find problems with that, we will issue orders around that area. I guess in one degree it’s a...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, our role from the Department of Health and Social Services side and with this act stated in a number of circumstances we would be directly involved in the quality of the water after it comes out of the plant and delivered to homes. So the testing and that end would be done and we would make recommendations if we were to find substances that were not acceptable. In our case, within the government, we’ve formalized a working relationship with a number of other departments, Municipal and Community Affairs being one of them as well as the Department of...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, joining me at the table here, to my right is deputy minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Chuck Parker; further to my right is Dr. Andre Corriveau, at this point, chief medical health officer, Health and Social Services, but that title will change with the passing of this act. To my left is Janis Cooper, legislative counsel, Department of Justice. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to introduce Bill 12, Public Health Act. This bill will replace the out-of-date 1950's act and represents the culmination of several years of work by the Department of Health and Social Services.

In developing this bill, the department identified the following goals:

to ensure the chief public health officer has the independence to make decisions and act to protect the public’s health, while having an adequate organizational support structure;

to provide updated and appropriate remedies and powers so that the chief public health officer can protect the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, August 17, I will move that Bill 17, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 4, 2006-2007, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have started the process that I think would be the appropriate one. Ultimately, we need the federal government to make that decision. As I stated, we’re working with our colleagues across the territories and provinces and we will be addressing the federal committee of finance or the committee that’s reviewing pre-budget consultation on the federal budget and will be making a presentation there as well. So we’ve got a number of processes in place and we’ll continue to proceed and push those forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, as we proceed with this and as we work with other departments involved in this along with ourselves, we will take a look at this as one of the areas. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the area of the northern residents tax deduction, I have contacted my fellow colleagues across the country, in the territories and provinces. We are beginning to get their responses back and many of them are favourable. We have another opportunity, in fact. Coming up in September, as the House finance committee launches their pre-budget consultation, we’re working with the three territorial Finance departments on a joint presentation and this will be one of the items that we’re hoping to include in that consultation process.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The work we would do, and again our relationship in this act on how we would provide the testing that is required and the reporting of that is regulated in a number of ways. To give you the proper response, I should go to Dr. Corriveau.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’ll have to be very careful in responding to this issue. As the Member is aware, there is still a process in place and all those negotiations have halted. There are some discussions still going back and forth. Our first priority, as a Department of Health and Social Services, was to ensure that the youth in that facility were taken care of in other facilities and we’ve done so and we’ll continue to monitor that. On the other side of the equation, we’ve done our part through the Fort Smith Health and Social Services Authority in contacting the...