Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to say this model UN will simulate the activities of various UN bodies and be a significant opportunity to help northern youth realize their own sense of global citizenship.

I commend the work of UNA-Canada and Centre for Northern Families and I ask this House to do the same and recognize them in the in the audience later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 2006, the United Nations Association in Canada established a national initiative designed to promote diversity and reduce racism in Canada. UNA-Canada launched a project entitled “A Sense of Belonging” and established partnerships with local agencies in nine communities across Canada, one of which was the Centre for Northern Families in Yellowknife.

The United Nations Association is a Canadian non-governmental organization mandated to promote UN programs and activities within Canada. UNA-Canada sees itself as the people’s movement for the UN.

Mr. Speaker...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. When I introduced the motion, I tried to follow the rule of making a statement that is quite narrow and to the motion, but I do appreciate the nature of the discussion by necessity and, more importantly, took on wider statements on the part of the Members. I appreciate very much all the comments and the points the Members made. I think we are doing good work here. I respect everybody’s opinion with regard to that.

Mr. Chairman, I think it should be made very clear that at no time during discussions of this bill in the committee or in the public hearings did we ever...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to be very brief as well, although I can’t promise to be as brief as Mrs. Groenewegen from Hay River South. Mr. Speaker, I just want to acknowledge two things. One is it’s not usual for us to have a debate like this where we are mentioning a specific individual to maintain in the position. I think this is an extraordinary effort in that way.

I am also mindful that the Workers’ Compensation Board is independent from the government and I respect that independence. Having said that, I am in support of this motion for the very reason that Mrs. Groenewegen so...

Thank you. Just a short one. Could I get the Minister to ask the, refer the matter, or however you want to put it, could I get the Minister to commit to having the government’s counsel look at section 92(2)(b) in the context of section 1.1, as Mr. Wright just stated? Thank you.

Right. Trivial. I never use the word trivial. But let me try this again because I'd like to get more clarification. Say if somebody has carpel tunnel syndrome, as an example, and say if he could prove that…I mean I think from a layperson's point of view -- you don't have to be a doctor -- as I understand it, carpel tunnel syndrome could come from repeated use of a computer keyboard. But in modern days, a lot of us use computer keyboards at work and at home. Say if it was under proof of…I mean if the standard proof was something like dominant cause or something else, you would have to...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Further to that then, section 92, subsection (2), subsection (b), reads that, and I quote, "draw all reasonable inferences and presumptions in favour of the claimant when determining any matter related to compensation." Now, when you read that from a layperson’s point of view, workers have every right to feel that when you’re injured, you go through a claim process right away from the beginning that your case will be dealt with with presumption in favour of you as an injured worker. I’m not sure if that has always been the case and the workers that have come into...

Thank you. I think my question might have been confusing, so I just wanted to get more. I think I would like to hear some more specifics from Mr. Doyle. I guess how the bill was written and presented to the House, it suggested a dominant cause to be a factor in determining cause of injury. We have changed that. We have done away with that dominant cause and we have made it, I think to my mind, a lesser burden to say if there's a material cause to workplace being the case of injury or diseases, then one would be compensable. Now, that's how I read it. I'm willing to be corrected if I'm...

Further to that, Mr. Chairman, I think we have an important section that we added to which is section 1.1, the purpose of this act, which was intentional inclusion and it says "The purpose of this act is to establish an open, fair and comprehensive system of compulsory no-fault mutual insurance for workers and employers," and it has five subsections that we, as Members, wanted to add into it to state and articulate how we would like to see this legislation implemented and followed in practice. I was hoping the Minister would say that this section 92 will be read and interpreted in the context...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I don’t mean to be redundant, but I don’t want to pass the opportunity to also acknowledge and say some thanks for where we are with respect to this new Workers’ Compensation Act and the work that has come before that.

Mr. Chair, I want to, first of all, thank the committee because I think that the report that the chair, Mrs. Groenewegen, read into the House this morning says everything about what we have been able to include in this legislation. I am hoping that the workers, the employers and anybody out there who had an interest in what is going on with...