Evidence of meeting #16 for Justice and Human Rights in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was amendment.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
We'll figure out the right place to put this afterwards, but it will be later in the section.
So this allows us to move to LIB-6.
Mr. Fraser, I believe you're withdrawing it.
Liberal
Colin Fraser Liberal West Nova, NS
If I'm permitted, I withdraw that amendment. I wanted to make sure before I did that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
You're not putting LIB-6 forward, which allows us to move to CPC-20.2.
You can move whatever you want.
Liberal
Colin Fraser Liberal West Nova, NS
I've decided that the vagueness of the wording would add extra complexity and, therefore, I'm not putting LIB-6 forward. That's not to suggest that a future amendment couldn't be made.
Liberal
Conservative
Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB
I'd be happy to elaborate further but I don't think it's a good idea to do that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
I'll pretend what you said before you said again.
Then LIB-7, Mr. Fraser, is the same idea. So I assume you're also not moving that one.
Now we move to G-2, which I think Mr. Fraser is going to put forward.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
It is page 87.
We're at proposed paragraph 241.2(6)(a) in the bill, addressing independence—medical practitioners and nurse practitioners.
Liberal
Colin Fraser Liberal West Nova, NS
This is from the Liberal G-2, but I'll be advancing this motion to modify the wording by replacing line 20 and 21 on page 7 with the following:
(a) are not a mentor to the other practitioner or responsible for supervising their work
Liberal
NDP
Murray Rankin NDP Victoria, BC
I'm sorry if I missed the explanation for the amendment. Could you just repeat it, Mr. Fraser.
Liberal
Colin Fraser Liberal West Nova, NS
We're taking out the business relationship and adding that they “are not a mentor to the other practitioner or responsible for supervising their work”.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
It was as a result of the fact that we heard testimony that in small communities there are medical practitioners who practise together and it would be difficult to find a referral where they don't have a relationship that has an independence issue, but they have a business relationship.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
Is there any further discussion on this issue?
Mr. Genuis, you wanted to add a small point?
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
The removal of the reference to “business relationship” is concerning to me because, effectively, the result would be that you have two doctors who jointly operate a clinic who jointly sign off on each of these orders. The independence provisions are designed to prevent that. Two doctors working together in a business relationship who are doing this together creates some real problems that are avoided by the original wording.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
I know it's not necessarily my role to take, but I believe that proposed paragraph (c) covers that issue.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Can you explain that? I don't quite understand that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
Sure. It says, “do not know or believe that they are connected to the other practitioner or to the person making the request in any other way that would affect their objectivity”. So if the business relationship was such that it would affect their objectivity, they couldn't then include....
I know it's not my role to explain the bill. I apologize.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
I do not agree with that assessment at all, but okay—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
We're coming up to 10:45, and I want to get through this one before we break.
Is there any other discussion from members of the committee?
Mr. Fraser, do you want to conclude?