The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable John Haggie, Minister of Health and Community Services:
Our government is seeking input from residents throughout the province to help inform the drafting of new public health legislation.
Current legislation is outdated, with some sections not having been updated in more than 50 years. Mr. Speaker, the goal is to develop a new, more modern piece of legislation that is aligned with recent best practices in public and population health from across the country.
I encourage everyone to take part in the consultation process. The deadline for response is Monday, March 19. People wanting to participate can visit engagenl.ca . Once an account is created, they will be able to participate in any future consultations conducted by the Provincial Government. Other ways to participate include providing written submissions through regular mail or by obtaining a hard copy of the online questionnaire by calling 729-0724. Emailed submissions can also be sent to healthinfo@gov.nl.ca
The Provincial Government will also hold a targeted stakeholder meeting later this month. Invitations to that meeting will be sent this week.
We have an opportunity to develop a comprehensive piece of important provincial legislation. I am very interested to hear people’s views on public health and what they would like to see as part of the new legislation. I look forward to its introduction in the House of Assembly this spring.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.