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Oral
Questions
June 3, 2008
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| In the House | Question
Period
MS JONES:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, oil prices
have been steadily increasing over the past couple of
years. Under the current Hibernia royalty regime, once
that project reaches payout the Province’s share of
royalty revenues will skyrocket to 30 per cent.
I ask the Premier today: With
the increased price of oil, will this project reach
payout sooner than originally forecast? If so, when does
government believe that this will happen?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, when
oil prices are high, dates are moved forward. You cannot
always pin it down to an exact date, though, Mr.
Speaker, because it depends on what other costs the
project might incur.
We have seen some
examples in the last couple of years when rigs have had
to be taken off locations or the FPSO has had to be shut
down for some reason or another, because those costs
then have to go back in and be recovered before we get
the payout. Is it general principle, Mr. Speaker,
absolutely. As oil prices stay high, the quicker we will
get the payout.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Maybe
the minister could give us an indication, then, of when
they are forecasting a payout right now on the Hibernia
project.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, in terms of
the Hibernia piece, we are expecting payout in the next
year or so. On the other projects, Mr. Speaker, I will
have to get that information and table it here in the
House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We are currently in the
process of debating Bill 35 in the House of Assembly and
one of the projects currently under review and could be
impacted by this legislation is the Hibernia South
project.
I ask the Premier or the
minister today: what is the
status of the Hibernia South discussions and when can we
see some public statements with regard to that project?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
MS DUNDERDALE: Mr.
Speaker, discussions are always ongoing with our
partners with regard to development of projects in our
basins around Newfoundland and Labrador, and discussions
are being held. We talk about what is happening with
Hibernia South and what we would like to see happening
with Hibernia South with our partners all the time.
In terms of an
application process to come forward to develop Hibernia
South, that ball is in the hands of the partners. They
will have to come forward with an application to the
CNLOPB and once they have done their analysis and make a
recommendation, then it comes to me as minister and the
federal minister to say yea or nay to that application.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Maybe
the minister could tell us, then, if there are any
established timeframes around that particular process or
if there is any indication that the companies will be
coming forward in the relatively short period of time.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
In meetings that the
Premier and I have had with all of the partners in
Hibernia South, they are very anxious to see development
in that field and they are working hard to gather the
information that they need and we need to ensure that
goes ahead in a proper manner. They are working hard on
gathering that information. They have not indicated to
us any firm timeline as to when they will be coming
forward with an application.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, the Hebron project will also be impacted by the
passing of Bill 35 in the House of Assembly. Earlier
this session we did ask for a status update on Hebron
and we were told at that time we could possibly see
something happening as early as June.
I ask the minister today:
What is the status of the
negotiations on Hebron and when can the people of the
Province expect to see some kind of deal being proposed
or finalized around this particular development?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The Hebron negotiations
are ongoing and there has been a great deal of activity
and a great deal of concentration by my department and
the Energy Corp. in bringing those negotiations to a
conclusion. We are very hopeful that that will be done
this month, but the biggest consideration for us is that
it be done properly and in the best interests of the
Province.
We are looking forward to
the announcement and we are going to do it as soon as we
get the good news to share with the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
When the Premier and his
colleagues were in Opposition they asked for a full and
open debate in the House of Assembly on projects like
the Voisey’s Project which was granted.
I ask the Premier today: Will
he commit to a similar debate on the Hebron project to
ensure that the people of the Province have all of the
information and have an opportunity to have their voices
engaged in debate in the Legislature?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
When we were engaged in
those debates you have to remember the circumstances, we
were dealing with a government that was there basically
on leave. We were dealing with an unelected Premier, a
Premier who did not have the mandate of the people, who
was proceeding with major projects in this Province like
the Voisey’s Bay project when he predecessor had
campaigned on the basis that not a single spoonful of
ore was going to leave the Province. So we were very,
very concerned about the details of that.
As well, on the Lower
Churchill, the Lower Churchill was a really interesting
situation because in the Lower Churchill project we
were, through questions, made aware over the course of
time that, in fact, this was a deal that was going to
extend beyond the Upper Churchill. So it was basically
going to compromise our ability to obtain redress on the
Upper Churchill. There was no redress on the Upper
Churchill. The project management, the project
marketing, the project financing was going to be
actually done by Quebec, financing was going to be
marked up and we were going to be able to recall our own
power, but we would have to recall it at more than what
we sold it to Quebec for in the first place.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. the
Premier to conclude his answer.
PREMIER WILLIAMS: If,
in fact, at the end of the day there was an overrun, I
think, if I remember correctly, of 10 per cent, which
might have been probably a half a billion dollars, we
would have lost the project completely. We were afraid
what they were going to do with it and we were trying to
protect them from themselves.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, it doesn’t matter to me if they were on
lease, on rent, on loan, on term, I say to you, Mr.
Premier, but the reality is that there was a request for
a full debate around those projects by the member
opposite, the current Premier of the day. We are asking,
Mr. Speaker, that if there is a deal on Hebron that it
be brought to the House of Assembly for a full debate.
I ask
the Premier today, if he is prepared to do that?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr.
Speaker, the Memorandum of Understanding has already
been presented to the House. The people of the Province
know the basis of the agreement. That basic framework
will not change. The details are now being worked out by
officials, and as the minister said we hope to have that
done by the end of June. From our perspective there is
no need beyond that.
We have the best that
money can buy, the best advice that we could get. We
have the best people hired with Hydro. We have the best
people within government, within the minister’s
department and the minister herself working on this. We
are quite confident that we have achieved the best
possible alternative.
You know, unlike the
concern that I had - I remember quite vividly when I was
on the other side of the House and I looked over during
the Lower Churchill questions and asked a question,
actually, of the current House Leader who was the only
solicitor, the only lawyer, the only person on the other
side who had any legal training, and I asked him: have
you read the draft agreement for the Lower Churchill? If
I remember correctly his answer-
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. Premier to
conclude his answer.
PREMIER WILLIAMS: His
answer was: I will read after it is signed.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, absolutely ridiculous! What I will tell the
Premier is that my colleague certainly read Bill 35 and
he read it thoroughly, and as a result of it we can see
some strengthening of that legislation.
Mr. Speaker, up to 200
workers at the Come By Chance refinery have been
impacted by a company decision to contract out work.
They have been on the picket line for a couple of weeks
protesting that particular decision.
I ask the minister today:
have you had any discussions
with the company to find out why they made the decision
that they have, to contract out the services as opposed
to rehiring people who have been in their company, some
of them up to ten, fifteen and twenty years?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, I have had
conversation with the company. As a matter of fact I had
a meeting with the principals of the company, of Harvest
Energy as well as the local management of the refinery,
to discuss the reasons why they are going to do
contracting out rather than doing the work in-house as
they have been doing for a number of years. We have very
little influence other than moral suasion. I took the
time to make sure that they fully understood the social
impact and the economic impact that would have on the
surrounding communities. I did all that I could, Mr.
Speaker, to encourage them to have another look at this
and to take another direction.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, maybe the minister can tell me then if the
company’s decision to do this is to achieve greater
financial efficiency within the company or other
efficiencies that they are looking for.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The reason that the
company offered to me was this was not in their main
line of work, that they had been doing this work
in-house themselves for a number of years and had found,
on review, that they were not very good at doing it.
Better efficiencies were to be found by contracting the
work out, as well as the work would be of a higher
quality because they would be asking people who had an
expertise in that area to come in and do the work.
We have been paying quite
a bit of attention to this issue, as I said, Mr.
Speaker. The member, the MHA for Bellevue, has almost a
daily conversation with me with regard to this matter.
He is engaged with the communities, he is engaged with
the company and he is engaged with the union. We are
doing the best that we can do, Mr. Speaker, to ensure
that the company fully understands the views of the
communities.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We have also been in
contact with some of the union members, but in
particular some of the communities that are impacted.
I
would like to ask you, minister: have you done any
analysis on what the job loss at that particular
refinery is going to mean for communities in the local
area, and what the loss of economic impact will be to
those particular residents and communities?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS DUNDERDALE: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
According to the company,
there will be about eighty people affected. It is hard
to get the numbers any more definitive than that because
it depends on what else happens inside the refinery this
year with regard to vacation, holidays, sick leave and
so on.
We also know that a lot
of the people who were engaged in this work, it was part
of seasonal work that they completed, not only here in
Newfoundland and Labrador but in other parts of Canada
as well. It formed a part of their annual income, an
important part to them, no doubt, Mr. Speaker, and any
loss of direct work in the community has a significant
impact.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, this morning on the front page of the Telegram,
the headline read: autism is on the rise In Newfoundland
and Labrador. This was the result of a study that was
done by Queen’s University.
Mr. Speaker, I would like
to ask the minister today: what
plan of action is being taken by his department to
address the growing crisis of health concerns for
children of autism in this Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, not to take away from the significance of the
question, but I would ask her to read the other part of
the front page, which talked about the successful
recruitment of pathologists.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, as the story indicated, there has been a recent
prevalence study done by Queen’s University in
partnership with the Province, the Department of
Education and the Department of Health and Community
Services, and that study has not yet been released. What
it indicated, which is what I indicated in the paper
yesterday, is that there is a higher instance of autism
in this Province than in some other provinces in the
country. We are going to use that information, together
with the insights we have gained ourselves from working
with individuals with autism over the last couple of
years, both in our education system and in our health
system, to map out a future direction for providing
services to people with autism in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I say to the minister,
the positive headline for pathologists in this Province
has no doubt been the result of the profile that we gave
the issue as well, Minister, in this Legislature every
single day before we dragged the government, kicking and
screaming, into a room with pathologists to even
understand what the issue was all about, Mr. Speaker.
Anyway, we did not –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We did speak to health
professionals at the Janeway hospital who have explained
to us that the numbers of children with autism in this
Province have increased. In 2006 we had about 74
children that were diagnosed. Those numbers jumped to
114 in 2007 and they expect the numbers to increase
again in 2008.
MR. SPEAKER: I
ask the hon. member to pose her question.
MS JONES: Yes,
I will, Mr. Speaker.
We have also, Mr.
Speaker, been told by the people at the Janeway, that
there is only one developmental psychologist to assess
these children.
I ask the Minister of
Health: has your department
looked at adding a different position or another
position of a psychologist there, to help deal with the
increasing numbers of children with autism in the
Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, the short answer to the member’s question is,
yes, we have looked at what kinds of resources are
necessary to provide for people with autism.
Let me elaborate a little
bit, Mr. Speaker, on what we have actually done. What we
have done this year in working with not only the Janeway
but with the Autism Society who provide tremendous
supports for people with autism in the Province, we have
increased their funding level this year by, I think it
is, about $250,000 over and above what we have provided
in past years. We will continue to work with that
society and their many chapters throughout Newfoundland
and Labrador, and we will continue to work with the
Janeway to ensure that they have the necessary resources
to respond to – well in the Janeway’s case it is
children with autism.
The Department of
Education, as well - children with autism in our
education system will be well served through the
resources that this Budget has delivered to the
Department of Education.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Collectively, ourselves
at Health and Community Services, our Regional Health
Authorities, the Department of Education and the Autism
Society, we will work in the best interests of everybody
(inaudible).
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Seven years ago, an
individual with a grandchild affected by autism took
their case to the Supreme Court when he was placed on a
waiting list for ABA Therapy. Now, we are one of only
two provinces in Canada to have a zero wait time, and,
Mr. Speaker, that is something to be very proud of.
I ask the minister today:
Given the success of that
particular program for children under the age of six,
will your department now commit to extending resources
to a full-time ABA Therapy program beyond the age of six
for those children who are impacted?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: The
member indicated that she had read the Telegram
today, she must have read the rest of the story that
said that I have had discussions already with my
colleague, the Minister of Education, to look at the ABA
program. As she would be very much aware, the ABA
program now provides services to children from the time
of the diagnosis until they start school and then the
education system provides programs and services
augmented with what is provided by Health and Community
Services. The minister and I have agreed that we need to
sit down and have a discussion around the ABA program,
the supports that are provided to autism, both in the
education system and in Health and Community Services.
As I say many times in
this House, Mr. Speaker, our interest as a government,
not just with people with autism but with the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador, is to ensure that we have a
health system that responds to the changing needs of our
population and has a view of enhancing the quality of
life that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have,
and that is what we will do for people living with
autism in this Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Actually, my next
question is for the Minister of Education.
We know that special
education teachers receive some very limited training in
terms of dealing with children of autism, but we are
concerned about the level of professional development
which teachers and special assistants receive.
I ask the minister: Is
she looking at or prepared to look at a training program
to be applied to those individuals within the school
system to help deal with these children of autism?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, as the Leader of the Opposition would know,
certainly we have spent a considerable amount of time in
the last couple of years to review the ISSP process that
we have in the schools that deals with students who have
special needs.
Mr. Speaker, we had a
Province-wide consultation done. We had a report
submitted to government which had seventy-five
recommendations, of which we accepted seventy of the
recommendations.
Some of the
recommendations we are able to implement immediately.
Others need ongoing review and analysis within the
department so we can move ahead with a plan of action,
but we do plan to move ahead with seventy of the
recommendations, and falling under that umbrella would
be any child in the school system who has special needs,
including children who may be diagnosed with autism.
Mr. Speaker, we are very
concerned about the special needs of the students, and
as we move forward with the full implementation of the
ISSP report we should be able to see improved services
in the schools.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Media reports have
confirmed that the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary have
launched an internal probe into their Corner Brook
operations, using the Criminal Investigation Branch of
the OPP.
I am
wondering if the Minister of Justice might be able to
provide the House with any information as to the nature
of this complaint, and what would warrant bringing in
the OPP to investigate.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I can confirm for the
Opposition House Leader that there is an investigation
ongoing. It is my understanding that Chief Joe Browne
will be conducting a news conference this afternoon, at
which he will confirm in further detail the nature of
the investigation, and at this point what I will say is
that this matter, and matters of this nature, are taken
very seriously by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
and steps have taken already by the Chief to address the
situation that has arisen.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you. I appreciate the minister’s candid answer.
Minister, we will be
certainly staying tuned for the outcome of the press
conference this afternoon, but I am wondering if you
would be in a position to advise the House and the
people, at this time, in addition to the leadership
issue that is being investigated, are there any external
issues surrounding this investigation – non-internal -
that might be involved?
There was an indication,
as well, there would be a report compiled by the OPP. I
am wondering: Would you be
agreeable, once you receive that report, to having it
released?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
There are issues ongoing
right now in relation to the Royal Newfoundland
Constabulary, as have been reported recently in the
media. In terms of the issue that the hon. member is
referring to, obviously if there is a report prepared by
the OPP and reviewed by the Department of Justice we
will have to see where that is going.
If there is a criminal
charge or charges that come out of any of these
investigations then, Mr. Speaker, obviously that matter
will have to be dealt in the normal course of events.
In terms of an internal
investigation, that will be dealt with by Chief Browne.
That is not something that would normally come to the
Minister of Justice’s attention because these are
internal operational matters that will be dealt with by
the Chief.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I am not sure whether the
Minister of Health and Community Services or the
Minister of Justice would be best situated to handle
this.
Again, I asked questions
yesterday related to mental health services in the
Provinces, principally HMP. We have also had information
relayed to us that a teenage girl having some mental
issues was placed in the Whitbourne Youth Centre, and
she was there for a thirty-day psychiatric assessment
and actually never did get the assessment.
I am wondering if the
minister, whoever is most appropriate, could tell us: What
are the wait times right now in Whitbourne when it comes
to psychiatric assessments, and is there a backup?
- Because there certainly seems to be.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the hon. member
for his question.
The issue of medical
treatment or psychiatric facilities or treatment at the
Whitbourne Youth Centre first arose, Mr. Speaker, during
what I will refer to as a strip-search investigation
earlier this year.
We are certainly aware of
the issues that have to be examined, and the member
opposite raises a very good issue. It is an issue that I
am going to have explored, Mr. Speaker.
As for wait times, I am
not exactly certain of that. If I had more time, Mr.
Speaker, I could go into detail in terms of the policies
at the Whitbourne Youth Centre, how it is being utilized
and how it is relates to the facility both at the
Janeway hospital and the St. John’s detention centre.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Back in April we brought
attention to the fact that the women’s correctional
facility - in Clarenville, that is - was not providing
adequate mental health services to the inmates there.
I ask the Minister of
Justice: Where is your
department in terms of implementing the recommendations
that the Office of the Citizens’ Representative
provided quite some time ago regarding mental health for
female offenders?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I do not know if the
report that the Opposition House Leader is referring to
is the one that deals specifically with the Labrador
situation, but the Labrador situation is being addressed
in this year’s Budget by the examining of the building
of a facility in Labrador that would deal with people
with mental health issues, youth and female offenders.
In relation to,
specifically, the Clarenville situation, Mr. Speaker, we
have commissioned – and the member rightly pointed out
yesterday that the Terms of Reference of the prison
review are broad, but we made them broad specifically so
that we could look at issues as they arose. It is my
understanding that Ms Poirier, Mr. Brown, that they will
be looking at the other institutes in this Province and
will specifically be looking at the issue in relation to
the female offenders in Clarenville.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
At the cost of being
frustrated, I am going to put more questions to the
Minister of Health and Community Services today in the
line of the questions I asked yesterday.
Mr. Speaker, at present,
the Medical Transportation Assistance Program does not
cover cost for patients who stay with a relative or
friend. Staying with a relative or friend in a familiar
environment while receiving treatment could actually
help in their recovery and with their well-being, but it
can be an added cost for relatives and friends,
especially because very often patients’ nutritional
needs can change while they are receiving treatment and
may be very different from a family’s usual meals.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the
minister: Will your government reinstate the meal per
diems and increase the monthly cap to reflect the true
financial burden in the Medical Transportation
Assistance Program?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I should first, I guess,
apologize for the member’s frustration. It is not my
intent at all. As I stand in the House each day and
attempt to answer questions the best way I can, it is
not my intent to create frustration, but maybe the
member may want to ask clearer questions, or be a little
more content with my answers, though I accept her
questions on their face.
Mr. Speaker, as I said
yesterday, in the last two years we have made
significant improvements in our medical transportation
system. We have, in fact, increased the limits for
accommodations. We have, in fact, increased the limits
for the meals. We have, in fact, increased the
deductible that is available. In fact, we have increased
the amount, the portion that we will share in after the
deductible, Mr. Speaker.
As I said yesterday, this
program, together with others, will be a part of the
annual evaluation that we do of programs and services in
preparation for next year’s budget -
MR. SPEAKER:
I ask the hon. minister to conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
- and the suggestions
that the member has made, together with many from
colleagues on this side of the House and on the other
side, Mr. Speaker, we will incorporate all of those –
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
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.
Of course the minister
knows that my questions are usually quite clear. He also
knows that the cost of staying with relatives and
friends is not covered, but I am glad to know that he is
at least going to take it under advisement as he does
the current evaluation that is going on.
Mr. Speaker, patients are
occasionally referred outside the Province for testing
that is not available in a timely manner in the Province
due to the length of the waitlist. Mr. Speaker, we have
been contacted by patients regarding situations where
the Medical Transportation Assistance Program would not
subsidize the cost of the trip, even through the doctor
has referred the patient for testing outside the
Province.
I ask the Minister: Will
this government cover the cost of trips for testing
outside the Province if the physician deems there is an
urgent need and it cannot be done in the Province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: There
is a caveat that the member has placed in her question
which is a valid one, which is if the service is not
available in the Province. On occasion, there are
individuals who may want to leave the Province to avail
of a service, and in fact there has been a recent
example where an individual – and they may be the
example the member is referring too - a recent example
where there was an individual referred outside the
Province for a service that was available in
Newfoundland and Labrador, albeit there might have been
a waiting list different in this Province than there
would have been in Ontario, but the person chose to
leave and go to Ontario for the examination.
In those sorts of
circumstances, Mr. Speaker, the medical transportation
system was never designed to accommodate that kind of a
circumstance, but clearly if the service is not
available in the Province, like the recent radiation
treatment, for example - I think there are 130-odd
patients we sent out to Ontario for radiation treatment
because the service was not available in the Province.
MR. SPEAKER: I
ask the hon. minister to conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
A few years back there
were a number of cardiac patients who went out of
Newfoundland and Labrador, again to Ontario, because we
could not accommodate all of the workload in the
Province. |
