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Oral
Questions
April 17, 2008
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| In the House | Question
Period
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My questions are for the
Premier.
Mr. Speaker, George
Tilley, the former CEO of Eastern Health, stated
yesterday that he had not seen a 2003 memo, or that he
didn’t see that 2003 memo from Dr. Ejeckam until the
Premier tabled it last May in the House of Assembly.
I ask the Premier: How
did this memo come to government and when was it
received?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I am not sure of the
exact date, but it was faxed to the Department of Health
and Community Services, and more directly to the deputy
minister of the day, by the Vice-President of Medical
Services, Dr. Oscar Howell with Eastern Health, some
time mid-May, around that time - I am not sure of the
exact date - but it came by way of a fax and it grew out
of a conversation that Dr. Howell had had with the
deputy minister of the day.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Maybe
the minister can clarify for me what year he is
referring to?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
It was 2007.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I ask
the minister, if there is any indication that this memo
ever existed within the Department of Health and
Community Services or within government any time prior
to that time?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: I
have not undertaken a search of that. I understand from
the conversation, I recall last year with the deputy, it
was the first time the deputy minister of that day was
aware of the issue. I have not undertaken any kind of a
search to determine whether or not during the time of,
because it was a date - we received it last year in
2007, but the date that was referenced was in 2003, a
time before we formed government. I am not sure whether
the members opposite may recall themselves whether or
not it was within government on their watch before we
got elected in October of that year.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, indications have been made in comments by the
Premier that this particular information would have been
in the hands of previous governments and therefore would
have been in the Department of Health and Community
Services in 2003. At that time, Robert Thompson, who is
now the chief liaison officer for the government in this
inquiry, was the Deputy Minister of Health.
Have
you asked Mr. Thompson if he was aware of this issue at
any time during 2003?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I have not asked Mr. Thompson that question
directly. Any comment I may have made about the fact
that this memo was in the department during their term
of government, or that they might have had knowledge of
that, comes from my assumption that if they can
understand and believe, as a current day minister, that
I would have full knowledge of every single aspect of
day-to-day operations in our four health authorities, I
am assuming that comes from their own personal
experiences of having full knowledge of the day-to-day
operations when they were in government.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I do not want the
assumptions of the minister, I want the facts.
I ask him: Will
he discuss with Mr. Robert Thompson, who was the Deputy
Minister of Health in 2003, if he had any knowledge in
2003, under this government or under a previous
government, with regard to this laboratory and what was
happening?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I thought I answered the
question accurately because I thought she had asked me:
Had you done it? I said: No, I had not.
Now, in response to the
question: Will you do it? Yes, I do not have any
difficulty at all. I will undertake to ask Mr. Thompson
if he had knowledge of that letter while he was a deputy
minister.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, consistently over the last number of weeks the
Premier has been indicating in the public that this
laboratory was closed for five weeks in 2003. We know,
Premier, from discussions with Eastern Health today that
this lab was not closed for five weeks. In fact, there
was only eight, I think, testing for antibodies that
were not taking place out of about 100 and two of those
were related to ER-PR.
I ask
the Premier, where he got the information, why he did
not clarify it until today when we inquired at Eastern
Health, but yet, consistently left that message in the
public?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr.
Speaker, I indicated today, and I got up on a point of
order to clarify the record before any question was
asked. It came specifically from a reference in a memo
from Eastern Health in June or July of 2005, which said
that the vice president of quality and diagnostic has
asked that an investigation be conducted into a
five-week stoppage. That is exactly where it came from.
If, in fact, the stoppage was less, well that will come
out during the inquiry. But, more importantly, ER-PR
testing was stopped for a period of time in 2003 when
that government was in office.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, the Premier has clarity on the information as
of today - we know that - and maybe in the future he
could keep his comments factual on that issue.
Mr. Speaker, my question
for the minister: Last year the Newfoundland and
Labrador Medical Association compiled a database of
equipment for the Province. At that time there were over
fifty pieces of diagnostic imagining equipment that
needed to be replaced immediately, such as X-rays,
ultrasounds and bone density equipment. They made a
presentation to government in 2007, in the summer.
I ask the minister: What
has the government done to address this issue, and can
he outline what equipment will be replaced this year, in
what facilities throughout the Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: If
I were to accurately answer that question I would have
to ask leave for the rest of the afternoon to read
through the list, the mountains of documentation that we
have about the equipment that we bought.
Since we formed
government, Mr. Speaker, since we formed government, we
have spent $123 million on new equipment - $123 million.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: In
fact, in the last twelve months we have spent over $40
million.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: In
fact, in the last two months we have spent $14 million.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: My
colleague, the Minister of Finance, will stand in this
House in a short time from now and he will deliver a
Budget; and, without giving away too much, Mr. Speaker,
I think I can very boastfully say that he will again
announce a significant investment in new equipment in
this coming year.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Because I believe the
minister would take all day, if he was given the leave,
I would ask that he would –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS JONES: I
ask that he would just table the information in the
House of Assembly, the breakdown of the monies that he
states government has spent, and what equipment was
purchased with that money, please.
Mr. Speaker, the
Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association also
pointed out that there are twenty-five piece of
equipment that require a replacement strategy to be
implemented.
I ask the minister: Is
government now addressing this, and will an
implementation strategy for this equipment be put in
place?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: The
investment decisions that we made last year, and more
particularly the last couple of months when we have
spent a little over $14 million, that was informed by
information we got from the Medical Association,
information we got from our four authorities. As we
built this year’s budget we also looked to that
information and that advice to help guide us as to what
might be the priorities for this coming year.
The four authorities have
also been very much aware of that list presented by the
Medical Association, together with other things within
their area of responsibility. From that prioritized list
we will announce, in a very short period of time, some
significant investments next year for capital equipment
that will help again to improve the delivery of health
services in this Province.
I think, Mr. Speaker,
when the people of Newfoundland and Labrador look at the
commitments that we will make to health in this coming
Budget, and reflect on the over $500 million that we
have increased the health budgets in the last four
years, and the kind of investment we have made in
equipment, I think the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador will acknowledge the significant improvements
in health care in this Province since we formed
government.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I still have no idea if
they are putting a strategy in place to deal with the
other aging equipment.
Mr. Speaker, the
Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association also
recommended the expansion to support the Province’s
telemedicine system. I ask the
minister if he can tell me what that expansion would
entail, and if it is geared towards improving services
in specific areas of the Province.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador who
read the Telegram about three or four weeks ago
would have seen, on the front page, an oncologist here
in St. John’s doing a consult with a cancer patient
and their family member in the Burin Peninsula. That is
the result of our investment. That is the result of our
investment in telemedicine.
Very soon I will be
joining my colleagues in Labrador to open a new dialysis
unit there. That, too, is connected via telemedicine. I
will be joining my colleague from St. Anthony in a very
short period of time to open a dialysis unit there.
They, too, will be connected via telemedicine.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear
MR. WISEMAN: As
I say, Mr. Speaker, we have included in that long list
of investments I just referred to earlier, telemedicine,
enhancement of telemedicine strategy, as being a big
part of that. We will continue to grow that and continue
to expand it; because, with the kind of money we have
invested in the fibre-optic network around this
Province, it allows us to (inaudible).
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I am quite familiar with
telemedicine, I say to the minister; it has been ongoing
in the Province for the last decade or longer, not just
in the last few weeks.
Anyway, Mr. Speaker, I
will switch my gears now. I want to ask some questions
to the Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, the Province
is flush with cash as a result of increases in revenues
from offshore oil. It is somewhat ironic, I guess, that
as government coffers are full, consumers in the
Province are continuing to pay some of the highest fuel
prices that we have ever seen in our history. Mr.
Speaker, on top of that, they are still paying very high
levels of taxes – I think some of the highest in the
country right now, in the Province.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the member to pose
her question.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My question is for the
Minister of Finance. Is
government considering using some of these windfall oil
royalties to give consumers a break on gas and heating
taxes in the coming Budget?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Oil prices certainly are
high, and it is something, of course, that our
government has no control over, but the Williams
government certainly is aware and recognizes the adverse
affect that high energy prices have on the people of
this Province, especially our seniors and those on fixed
incomes. That is something, I can assure you, that the
Williams government takes very seriously.
That is why, in our
Budget last year, we took a number of initiatives that
were meant to put money in people’s pockets to help
them cope with the high cost of living. We removed 4,000
people from the provincial tax rolls. We gave 7,800
seniors a $763 benefit. We gave the biggest tax cut in
the history of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: We
expanded the Home Heating Rebate for 95,000 people. We
indexed the tax system.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the member to
conclude his answer.
MR. T. MARSHALL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker, I will be happy to.
After having that Budget,
which was called the most generous Budget in the history
Newfoundland and Labrador, I can assure you that our
government looks forward to presenting our new Budget,
in which we will consider new initiatives (inaudible).
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The Minister of Finance
says they do not control the prices at the pumps; but,
Mr. Speaker, they do control the amount of taxes that
the Province adds on to oil and gas in this Province, to
the consumer, and they do set those rates, so that is
where your control is, Minister.
Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland
and Labrador Hydro have made application to increase
electricity costs to consumers by 6 per cent, starting
July 1.
I ask the minister: Will
government undertake any initiatives to protect
consumers, especially those on fixed incomes, from such
a huge increase in the cost of electricity that could
foreseeably happen in the next year?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear.
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
As everyone in this House
should be aware, the rate increase that is being applied
for is as a result of the Rate Stabilization Plan, which
is a plan that protects customers from great
fluctuations in electricity over the length of a year.
We are now at a point
where new filing is required. Everyone knows what is
happening with the price of fuel and the price of fuel
has driven the cost of producing electricity up.
Unfortunately, we are still in a position in this
Province where we have to rely on thermal generation for
15 per cent to 25 per cent of our electricity. That is
why it is so important for us to get on with the Lower
Churchill and get clean hydro power and develop our wind
resources so we are not reliable on thermal generation
and we have clean, renewable, cheaper sources of
electricity for this Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My questions are for the
Minister of Justice.
Minister, you met
recently with the federal minister, I do believe, Mr.
Day to discuss the possibility of cost sharing the new
federal penitentiary here in the Province. We currently
do not have any such facility.
I ask the minister, if he
might be able to provide us with an update on the
department’s progress in drafting a formal proposal
for the new facility and when might we expect to see
that actually presented to your counterparts in Ottawa?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I can inform the
Opposition House Leader, when I met with Minister Day in
Ottawa I reviewed the history of corrections in this
Province, the agreements that we have in place with
Ottawa, outlined the potential cost and possible sites
for a penitentiary and indicated to the federal
government that we would like to have a 70 per cent
federal contribution to the construction of a facility.
At that point, I said I
will get this to you in writing. I came back to
Newfoundland and Labrador and within a week that letter
was sent to Minister Day. So, essentially, it is in the
federal government’s bailiwick right now. I am hoping
to receive a reply shortly. I will say that although
Minister Day did not rule out the possibility of a
contribution, he certainly did not indicate that they
would do the same. I am hoping that the federal
government will, for once, step up and do the right
thing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I was under the
impression from the media reports that I had heard and
read that rather than just a letter, which the minister
says he wrote back, I was under the impression,
mistakenly obviously, that there was going to be some
formal proposal as to the penitentiary, what it might
encompass and so on. That was the reason I specifically
asked: Is there any kind of proposal that is going to be
made in order to arrive at the percentages of funding?
That is one issue.
I am
just wondering, if there has been any level of activity
as to what we would actually like to see in the facility
yet, or will that come later, once we get a commitment
that we will do it together?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I would say to the
Opposition House Leader, that the meeting with Minister
Day was very fruitful in terms of we laid out our
position clearly and concisely. I had in my possession
at that time some draft consulting reports in terms of
the construction of a facility. There is a lot of work
to do. I would say to the people of this Province and to
the Opposition House Leader, that at this point we are
in preliminary negotiations and until such time as the
federal government steps up to the plate, we do not know
where this is going.
The proposal I put
forward, as I just said, is that we were asking for a
70-30 cost share ratio, with the federal government
contributing 70 per cent. We outlined our reasons in
writing and as the former Minister of Justice knows, is
this position is between us and the minister and,
hopefully, as I have indicated, the federal government
will step up to the plate.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
This new facility, of
course, when it becomes a reality would replace the
current HMP, or Her Majesty’s Penitentiary here in St.
John’s. The current facility is chronically
overcrowded, lacks sufficient programming space and
staff, and does not provide adequate services to
offenders with mental illness. In fact, that situation
has continued for quite some time, going back even to
the former Administration, I say.
I ask the minister: How
does, or has any thought been given at this point, that
any new penitentiary would include or deal with the
problem, particularly of prisoners who have mental
illness? Has that been contemplated?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
In my short tenure as Minister of Justice I have visited
the Labrador Correctional Centre, I have been at the
West Coast Correctional Centre in Stephenville, and as
late as last week I toured Her Majesty’s Penitentiary
in St. John’s.
We are aware of the
issues that exist in Her Majesty’s Penitentiary. We
are looking at ways of addressing these. Obviously, as
the Opposition House Leader would know, individuals who
are in jail, there are oftentimes a combination of
difficulties with mental health and addiction. What I
would say to the Opposition House Leader, and by no
means am I being snarky, I am just saying stay tuned and
you will have your answer in the next few days.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
According to the
information that we have, Mr. Speaker, approximately 70
per cent of the inmate population at the penitentiary at
this time have a pre-diagnoized mental illness and drug
addictions. I understand it is the current policy that
if offenders admit they are experiencing withdrawal,
they are often sent to solitary confinement and not to
medical professionals.
I ask the minister: Are
you currently aware of this current policy at HMP to
deny inmates access to their medications, and how does
this mix with the policy that we support an offenders
right to be rehabilitated?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
It seems to me, I say to
the Opposition House Leader, that your statistics - I do
not know where you are coming up with them, but from
twenty years experience in the criminal justice system,
I know what is going on. I know that there are problems
with addiction and with mental health issues. However,
to put statistics on it seems to be a favourite tactic
of the Liberals to throw out things as facts. Well, that
is not a fact, sir. Show me the documents. As for your
proposition that people are thrown in segregation
because they have a withdrawal, I do not know where you
come up with that. So, what I would suggest to you, if
you have certain statistics, if you have proven facts,
put them in writing. They will be investigated, and I
say to you, sir, in the next couple of days stay tuned.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I do not understand why
the minister is getting so defensive. We are asking some
questions and albeit, he does not have enough research
staff to provide him with the information. We will
certainly undertake, with our limited resources, to
provide him with our information. I did not know he did
not have the staff to know this already.
Mr. Speaker, health care
for offenders is a major consideration. It is now
mandatory for modern correctional facilities to provide
ambulatory care as well as certain programming designed
to increase health awareness amongst offenders. Given
the fact that two suicides have been carried out at the
HMP in the last year, we wonder whether the current
policies and protocols are adequate.
What
interim measures are being taken to ensure that all
members of the offender population have access to
medical care and therapeutic programming before they are
returned to the civilian population? Is it adequate,
given what has happened in the last year in these two
deaths?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
As the Opposition House
Leader is aware, or should be aware, this government has
been very proactive in dealing with all aspects of the
criminal justice system under Minister Marshall,
Minister Osborne, and now myself.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
MR. KENNEDY: Sorry.
Under the present Minister of Finance, the Member for
St. John’s South, and myself.
I would say to you, I
have not seen anything that the Liberals did in the
previous - ever how long you were in power, sir. The
only positive point that comes out of the Liberal
Administration in Justice was the ordering of the Lamier
Inquiry, and that was only done for political gain. So,
it is like everything else the Liberals did in the dying
days, it was trying to curry favour with the public, and
you were going to sell the Lower Churchill and do
everything else.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Opposition
House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I really did not think
this minister was so thin skinned that he would have
that kind of comment. My questions have been fairly
straightforward. I do not think they are earth
shattering. For a political discourse that you just gave
- you are the Minister of Justice and Attorney General,
I think you ought to be able give a straightforward
answer. There are no dramatics required for it. You are
not F. Lee Bailey in an American courtroom. Straight up
-
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Opposition
House Leader.
And I ask the hon. member
to pose his question now.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The Newfoundland and
Labrador Corrections Centre for Women has also come
under scrutiny in recent years, as evidenced by a report
on facilities and supports for female offenders from
Labrador, which was published by the Office of the
Citizens’ Representative, made several recommendations
that -
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
If the member has a
question, I ask him to pose it.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the
minister: Where is your
department in implementing the recommendations of that
particular report, and if you do not intend to build a
new facility for women in Labrador -
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I can indicate that
myself, Minister Hickey and Minister Pottle visited the
-
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
MR. KENNEDY: Sorry,
sorry. Sorry, Mr. Speaker.
Myself and the Minister
of Aboriginal Affairs, and the Minister of Labrador
Affairs, we visited the facilities in Happy-Valley Goose
Bay. We went to the RCMP lockup, and I can indicate that
we will be addressing these matters in the near future
and that we are looking at what is needed in Labrador,
but I can indicate that the facility is needed to deal
with youth offenders, individuals who have mental health
issues, and also female offenders.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Member for
the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, my question
is for the Premier.
This Province is
currently missing one-third of the complement of
pathologists and now we are losing even the one doctor
whose subspecialty is breast cancer pathology. The
doctors are indicating that they are concerned about
their workload and about the fact that that will be
increased if they have to be called to testify at the
inquiry.
Mr. Speaker, what is this
government going to do to ensure that the quality of
testing will be maintained over the upcoming months,
especially while the Inquiry is in place?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Last
year, in response to questions around ER/PR in this
House and more recently in giving evidence before the
Inquiry, I talked about the quality assurance
initiatives, the quality controls that are currently in
place within Eastern Health for ER/PR testing. Those
kinds of mechanisms, Mr. Speaker, whether in the coming
months or the last four or five months or during this
period of some anxiety by pathologists who may be a part
of the Inquiry itself and may be called to give
evidence, these quality control mechanisms have been in
place for over a year now or close to a year now and
they are working well as I understand it.
You asked me the other
day for some information that I am endeavoring to get
for you which will show clearly that the validation of
the test results coming out of the lab –
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the member to
conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
There has been a
validation by outside labs that have validated the test
results coming out of that area of the lab. I think when
you see that you will recognize –
SOME HON MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: A
further question to the minister, Mr. Speaker.
What I would like to know
is: Is there going to be extra help if doctors have
extra workload during the Inquiry when they have
to appear in front of the Inquiry? Is there going to be
extra help to assure the quality of testing in that
instance?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, workload management is the responsibility of
Eastern Health. They operate the lab and they have a
very capable and competent management group there. In
fact, this morning I met with the pathologist who is
responsible for that area of the lab and he is very much
aware of the workload that they have and very much aware
of the kinds of supports they need to put in place to
make sure the work gets done.
Any of the pathologists
or any of the staff at the lab who are participating in
the Inquiry and may need some time off for that, in that
process the quality of the service being provided and
the quality of the test results will not be compromised.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I would just note before
my next question, I am glad the minister is remembering
the request I made for information and I look forward to
his bringing that to the House.
On Tuesday, the minister
said that, and I quote, in the "….Department of
Health and Community Services and the authorities
themselves, there was a fair bit of institutional
knowledge around consolidation." That was talking
about when the four authorities were formed.
Mr. Speaker, I have
spoken to people who resigned because they believe there
was no dedicated team put in place to deal with
reorganization, and because the frustration of trying to
be heard was too great.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. member, if
she is reading, to refrain.
MS MICHAEL: This
morning, the former CEO testified at the inquiry saying
it was like (inaudible).
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. member to
paraphrase the item that she is reading from, and not to
go reading from a document as a preamble to a question.
The Speaker has already made this ruling many times in
the past.
The hon. member, to
conclude her question.
MS MICHAEL: I
thought a quote from Hansard was allowed, Mr. Speaker.
I am very sorry.
MR. SPEAKER: I
say to the hon. member, that was stated as well. Quoting
from Hansard is not permitted as a preamble as well.
I ask the member to pose
her question.
MS MICHAEL: My
question, Mr. Speaker, I ask this government: Why will
you not recognize the difficulties with the
reorganization of our health care system that occurred,
and put an external review in place so that this health
care system can be fully assessed as we move forward?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, the issue of evaluation, if you are going to
evaluate anything, you need to have a process conclude
before you can evaluate whether that was worthwhile.
I have said before in
this House, and I will repeat it again today, there is a
transition taking place. We only put these boards
together in 2005. I have said many times that anywhere
between three to five years would be considered a normal
transition period for consolidation of this magnitude,
whether it is in our health sector or consolidation of a
corporate sector in the private world. It does not
really matter. Until that exercise is concluded, it is
premature to do an evaluation of the exercise itself.
You will not get the kind of insight that you need to
inform your decisions on a go-forward basis, I say, Mr.
Speaker. |
