|
Oral
Questions
June 4, 2008
Home
| In the House | Question
Period
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The Conception Bay North
area has a significant problem with recruiting and
retaining family physicians, something that is not just
unique to that particular region, Mr. Speaker. There is
a high turnover rate as doctors come and only stay for a
short period of time. The joint councils in the area
have already made their concerns known to the department
and to government.
Mr. Speaker, the
Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association have
indicated that we need an additional 120 family doctors
for the Province.
I ask the minister today:
What is being done to address
this growing shortage of doctors throughout the
Province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the member
opposite references a particular location in the
Province that is experiencing some difficulty now in
recruiting physicians. What is interesting, Mr. Speaker,
if you look at the number of physicians in the Province
today, and we just had a reconciliation of the numbers
from last year compared to the previous year, I think it
is seven or eight more doctors in the Province today
then we had last year at this time.
The recruitment
initiatives over the course of the last twelve months
have been on par with our recruitment initiatives in
previous twelve month periods. So I say, Mr. Speaker,
through our four regional health authorities, together
with the additional resources we have put in as a
government, in establishing a centralized recruitment
process for physicians, we have had a tremendous amount
of success in attracting physicians to Newfoundland and
Labrador. Some regions of the Province have had more
difficulties than others in retaining them, but I say,
Mr. Speaker, together with the four regional health
authorities and the investment we have made in the
centralized recruitment process -
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
MR. WISEMAN: -
we will continue with the efforts that we have put into
it in the last twelve months, I say, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We are pleased to see
they have recruited another seven or eight doctors,
family physicians, this year more than last year, but it
still takes the vacancy rate to about 115 to 120 family
physicians in the Province. This is being felt in areas
like Gander where today people may have to put their
name in a hat to be drawn out to see if they can access
the services of a physician. In fact, Mr. Speaker, the
manager there told us that they have about 3,000 names
on a list right now, of people wanting to have a family
physician, and they will be accepting names up until
tomorrow night.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the
minister again: When can people
of the Province, those people like the ones I mentioned
in Gander, expect to see family physician services being
provided to them in a timely and effective manner?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: I
am glad the member opposite raised the issue of Gander
and used that as an example because I say, Mr. Speaker,
that is a real good example of where a local family
practice clinic working together with the regional
health authority and the Department of Health and
Community Services were able to attract two new
physicians to that clinic and that region very recently.
We have done that in other parts of the Province, I say,
Mr. Speaker, very successfully, so we will continue to
do some of the things we have done successfully in the
last twelve months.
One of the other things
that we have done this year, Mr. Speaker, we are
increasing the enrolments in the medical school to be
able to ensure that we have more Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians entering medical school, because our
history has shown us that they will, in fact, have a
greater opportunity to stay and they are more likely to
stay in Newfoundland and Labrador to practice.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Put that together with
the increased investment we have made in bursary
programs in this past year, I say to the member opposite
and to the people of the Province, stay tuned because I
think we will see some great results in the future.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
It does not help the
people today in those regions who have to put their name
on a list to see a physician.
In addition, Mr. Speaker,
in Labrador West, the availability of physicians, or the
shortage, has reached a crisis level in that region.
None of the family doctors there are accepting new
patients, and you know that there is a booming
population in this part of the Province. In fact, the
Iron Ore Company of Canada, in the last week, let six
more contracts for the expansion of their mining
operation.
I ask the minister: What
is being done to deal with the critical shortage that
currently exists in Labrador West, and will continue to
grow in the next few months, as well over 100 to 150 new
people move into the region to look for work?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, whether the member gets up and asks questions
about Gander or Labrador City or Clarenville or St.
John’s, if the question is the same and the community
just changes the answer becomes the same.
I have just laid out for
her, in the previous two questions, some of the key
things that we have done: (a) We have established a
centralized recruitment office at Memorial University
working through the medical school; (b) We have invested
new money in bursary programs and we have had a full
uptake on all of those bursaries we have offered, and
those individuals have made a commitment to come back to
practice in Newfoundland and Labrador as a result of our
investment; (c) We have made a major investment to
expand the medical school because we have had
experiences that tell us that Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians who attend medical school in this Province
will stay in this Province to practice and that is where
we are putting our money, making –
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
In addition to what the
Regional Health Authorities and our department are doing
today in the short-term, we are making some major
investments in some foundational pieces of work that
will hold us in the long stint.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Paramedics in rural
regions of the Province are not unionized. Those in the
St. John’s are, however, unionized. Rural paramedics
are typically paid forty hours per week. They often
provide unpaid on call for another sixty-four hours per
week for a total of 104 working hours, in some
situations of paramedics that we have talked to.
I ask the minister: Will
government move to establish a Province-wide working
standard for paramedics within the Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: We
must be getting near the end of this session, they are
going back through Hansard and pulling up old questions.
I think, about two weeks ago, I had that same question
in the House, so we are going to run out.
What I said a couple of
weeks ago - and let me repeat it - in this Province we
have ambulance services provided by hospital-based
services, community-based volunteer organizations and
the private sector. The individuals who work at our
hospital-based practices are part of one of our regional
health authorities, and they generally would be members
of NAPE or CUPE.
The other individual
organizations in private sector, they have a contractual
arrangement through the Department of Health &
Community Services with our regional health authorities,
to provide a service in their region. They hire their
employees, they have to meet a certain standard, they
have a level of training, they have standards in terms
of equipment, the nature of their practice – but we
basically have a contractual arrangement for those
organizations to provide the service. We do not define
–
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Leader of
the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
With all due respect to
the minister, it is the first time I have raised this
issue in the House of Assembly because it is only in the
last week I have met with paramedics.
Many of them in the
Province feel that the emergency medical service system
is a piecemeal system at best, and in different areas of
the Province there are different standards of care. For
example, if you need an IV, in one area of the Province
a paramedic can do it, in other areas of the Province
they cannot do it until you get to a hospital.
I ask
if the government will commit to an independent,
operational review of ambulance and paramedic services
with the Province.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health & Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I am glad the member
raised that particular example about the IV, because
what she is speaking to, Mr. Speaker, is a set of
standards, a set of standards that typically, in that
industry, would be referred to as medical control.
I am happy to report to
the House and to the people of the Province, that in the
recent past we have been successfully in recruiting a
physician to work with Eastern Health, and that
physician will take a full responsibility for ensuring
that we have medical control throughout each of our
services throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, in fact, before the arrival of this individual
– because this individual will be charged with the
responsibility to ensure it is Province-wide – there
had already been a significant amount of work done on
that particular piece of work. So, many of these
services throughout the Province already had medical
control in place; but it will become a standard for the
Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
If I could get action
like that on every question, well, we would not need
thirty minutes, we could do it in fifteen minutes, I say
to the minister.
Anyway, the minister
talked about recycling questions, well, let me ask you
this one, which is recycled from 2006, on a commitment
that your government made.
There was evidence to
suggest that people who live near and are exposed to
transformers and cables are more prone to developing
cancer. I raised this question in the House of Assembly
in May of 2006, in reference to a story that was
disclosed by Mr. Gerald Higgins, whose wife had died of
breast cancer. Mr. Speaker, as a result he feels, and
experts in this field feel, it was linked to
transformers.
Mr. Speaker, at the time
I ask government to investigate this issue.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. member to
pose her question.
MS JONES: Yes,
Mr. Speaker.
I
asked government at that time to look at this issue, to
investigate it, and to report back. The minister of the
day agreed to do that.
I ask
you today: what action –
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
If there is a question, I
ask that the member pose it now.
MS JONES: Yes,
I thought I just did, Mr. Speaker.
My question again is: the
minister of the day committed to look at this issue and
I ask, what –
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
Order, please!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: I
do not think we would mind recycling questions from two
or three weeks ago but raising an issue that her former
party, and I think it was your former leader, had
already discounted the notion that that had any real
credibility, if I am not mistaken. I sat in this House,
if I am not mistaken, and Mr. Grimes, the former
premier, her leader, a member of her party, stood in
this House and discounted that notion as being
frivolous; it had no merit, if I am not mistaken.
I think, as she just
pointed out, it was our government and a former
colleague of mine who committed to undertake to look at
that question.
I can tell the member
opposite that I do not know exactly what came out of
that evaluation that would have been done by my former
colleague, but I will undertake to find out for you and
advise you in due course.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
If the Minister wants to
read Hansard, Roger Grimes asked those questions in the
House of Assembly to John Ottenheimer, when he was the
Leader of the Opposition, and I asked them to Tom
Osborne when he was the minister.
Mr. Speaker, my next
question is to the Minister of Finance.
Recently our office was
contacted by a gentleman from Catalina, Mr. Sam Stead,
who recently lost his wife to cancer. People in the
community made small donations to help him cover the
cost of this funeral. Mr. Stead is almost 70 years old,
he lives on a small pension and has a disabled daughter.
He was shocked to learn that $750 of his cost was taxes
that were added to his funeral bills.
I ask the minister: how
much money is generated by government on an annual basis
from tax on funerals, and does he agree that such a tax
on bereaved families is somewhat repulsive?
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.
I thank the hon. Leader
of the Opposition for her question.
I will have to get the
information as to how much of the HST, because it is the
Harmonized Sales Tax that we would receive.
When the government of
Newfoundland and Labrador, I believe it was in 1997,
agreed to harmonize its provincial sales tax with the
GST, along with Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the
federal government, it was agreed by the government of
the day that we would accept the tax base set out in the
GST. Therefore, what is taxed, the items that are taxed,
is set out in the GST and we are bound by that. The only
way that can be changed is if there was unanimous
agreement of the three provinces and the federal
government to change the base.
Recently I was in Ottawa
and had discussions with the Minister’s of Finance of
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. We
had agreed to meet and have a discussion, and that was
one of the taxes that had come up. There was another-
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude his answer.
MR. T. MARSHALL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Also there is a HST on
certain aspects of home care that is a concern to me. We
will meet and then, after we have had that discussion,
we intend to approach Minister Flaherty and the federal
government to address these concerns.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I am pleased to see that
the minister will begin a process to ask the federal
government to drop their portion of the tax.
In the meantime, I
ask if the Province would consider reducing the tax that
they apply to funerals as well, your portion.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr.
Speaker, in terms of personal taxes we have just
undergone a two-year review of the taxes in this
Province and as a result of that we have given the
biggest tax decrease in the history of our Province last
year -
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: - $160
million, and this year by a further amount of $178
million. Also, the Premier announced on April 22 of this
year the complete elimination of the hated 15 per cent
tax on insurance.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr.
Speaker, this government has certainly done more than
probably any other government in history in reducing
taxes in this Province. As our financial situation
continues to improve hopefully we can do more in the
future.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My next question is with
regard to the gas tax.
As you know, since the
election the price of gasoline has gone in some parts of
the Province from $1.08 a litre to $1.38 a litre today.
I ask the minister: in
addition to this high price in gas tax we also pay the
highest provincial fuel tax on gasoline of any other
province in Canada, and I ask if you would consider
looking at reducing the provincial fuel tax on gasoline
at this time?
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.
As I just indicated, we
have conducted a review of all of our taxes and we have
made major reductions in the taxes that we consider to
be priority, and that was mainly personal tax and the
tax on insurance and also the reduction in motor vehicle
registration which is what the people of the Province
told me when I did the pre-Budget consultations they
wanted to see; motor vehicle registration reduced and
also the tax on insurance reduced.
Mr. Speaker, with respect
to the tax on gas, it is interesting that in many parts
of the country, especially in British Columbia right
now, they are actually increasing the tax on gas. They
are bringing in a carbon tax. I think Stéphane Dion had
mentioned that as well and I think Quebec is doing that
as well. I think New Brunswick has indicated an interest
in raising the taxes on gas and on heat higher, so that
they can lower personal income taxes.
What we have done in this
Province, Mr. Speaker, we are not raising taxes on gas
but we still lowered income taxes.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We still have the largest
tax in terms of a provincial fuel tax of any other
province in Canada. We know that the high gas prices and
the high provincial fuel tax is having an impact on
people all over the Province; everything from the cost
of food to the cost of a bus pass today.
I ask the minister: What
measures are government looking at to help offset some
of these costs to consumers on a go forward basis?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of
Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL:
Mr. Speaker, one of the things that this government has
been doing since it came into office is to continue to
introduce new initiatives to help people on fixed
incomes in this Province, especially our seniors. We
have allowed seniors to split their pension income. We
have brought in the low income tax reduction which has
eliminated 20,000 people from the tax roles. We have
increased the Home Heating Rebate, and 75,000 people now
benefit from that. We have lowered the taxes on
insurance. We have lowered personal income taxes. The
list goes on and on of measures to put money in
people’s pockets to help them cope with the rising
cost of living, in particular the cost of energy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER:
Mr. Speaker, requests were made by residents, media and
individual councillors to investigate the operating of
the Town of Portugal Cove-St. Phillip’s. The Kelly
report was commissioned in August of 2007 at a cost of
$12,000.
I ask the Minister of
Municipal Affairs: Have you and
your staff reviewed the Kelly report, and if so what
direct action have you taken to resolve the many serious
issues which this investigation revealed?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. DENINE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We did have a report last
year done my Mr. Kelly and then subsequent to that we
had a review done by an independent lawyer to go over
all of the details on that.
I can tell the hon.
gentleman today, that the answer with regard to Portugal
Cove-St. Phillips is eminent.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER:
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Kelly report states that
the Town of Portugal Cove-St. Phillips has reached a
point of requiring significant provincial intervention.
I ask the minister: What
significant intervention will you be taking to address
the many issues, more than 120 formal complaints,
submitted to you by the residents of that town?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. DENINE: Mr.
Speaker, we have to look at, when a town council is
elected, they are elected democratically. They are not
elected on party, they are not elected on platform; they
are elected on their own individual platforms. At times
there are situations where they do not agree.
In looking at Portugal
Cove-St. Phillip’s, Mr. Speaker, those issues that the
member across the way mentioned, they will be addressed
in the letter that will be sent out to the town very
soon.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, my final question to the minister is with
regard to questions of conflict of interest and secrecy
over financial decisions by council and staff as stated
in the Kelly report that dominate the concerns of many
residents.
I ask the minister: What
action has been taken to address these conflicts of
interest and the secrecy issues?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. DENINE: Mr.
Speaker, the way the issue was dealt with, we had to
find out what were the real issues in terms of what was
happening there.
As far as the financial
part of it, from our perspective, my officials went in
and there were no issues with financial. The issues
dealing with conflict of interest, they found that there
was no foundation there at all.
What happens is that the
explicit way the municipalities sent out - that clearly
defines exactly what a minister can and cannot do. All I
can tell the member across the way is that a letter will
be going out to the town and giving them some directions
on those issues.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My question is for the
Minister of Finance.
Minister, in a recent
media report – actually, this morning - there was
reference to the Liquid Ice liquor transfer, license
transfer, to another party. In the course of the
interview it was mentioned that – and I believe it was
an official of the Liquor Corporation who made the
comments – there was a comprehensive review underway
with respect to the liquor laws, and it was not
specific.
I am
wondering if you could shed any light on that. If there
is, in fact, a comprehensive review underway, is it both
the Liquor Corporations Act and the Liquor Act, and if
that review is going to have public consultations
involved in it.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of
Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr.
Speaker, I don’t know if a review from government
would be the proper way of describing it, but
essentially there have been a number of recommendations
that have come forward from the executive of the Liquor
Corporation to me, in my capacity as Minister of
Finance, suggesting recommendations to the Liquor
Control Act. Government will obviously consider those
recommendations, and if it wishes to go forward then the
legislation would be presented here in the House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I have asked a series of
question this week about mental health issues in HMP,
and in Labrador, and in the women’s correctional
facility in Clarenville. The Office of the Citizens’
Representative noted in his investigation that there is
a two-week waiting period upon requesting mental health
services at the Clarenville women’s correction centre.
No counselling team, apparently, has entered the
facility since 2006. The report recommended that a pilot
project be put in place that ensures continuous
availability of counselling.
I am
wondering if the Minister of Health or the Minister of
Justice can tell us if that recommendation has been
moved forward.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
To answer your question
directly, no, I am not aware, but I will undertake to
find out the information for you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The shortest answer we
have ever gotten from the Minister of Health. Thank you
very much.
Mr. Speaker, for the
Minister of Justice, again, the Office of the
Citizens’ Representative released a report, close to a
year ago, which included recommendations on improving
mental health supports for female offenders in Labrador.
The minister commented in
earlier questions, in response this week, to the fact
that there was a detention centre being constructed –
and those monies have, in fact, been outlined in the
Budget of this year – but the issue was, and the
Citizens’ Representative referred to the fact, that
there should be a new, secure mental health unit in the
Labrador Health Centre as opposed to a detention centre.
I am
wondering if government has given any thought to that,
and when that recommendation might be moved forward so
that support is also in place for these people.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Again, I will try to be
brief.
I am aware that
recommendation was made, and I am aware that the health
authority in question is looking at how they are going
to accommodate the space within the current building and
what renovations would be necessary; but, in terms of
the progress towards that, I cannot give you an update
today but I will undertake to do so.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My next question is for
the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
We have had several
inquiries, Minister, and we are aware that the Budget
has come down for this year, and I understand that the
communities in the Province who are involved in
multiple-year funding projects have already been
notified by the department as to what their projects are
and which have been approved. Several communities, other
than those multiple-year funding ones, have been
inquiring when it is likely to be made public as to
where their capital works projects stand for this year.
They are concerned, of course, because the later they
get the notification from your department, the shorter
the construction period is for them.
I am
wondering if you could give us an update on where that
stands.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. DENINE: Yes,
I can, Mr. Speaker.
The hon. gentleman, the
answer to his question is that those notifications were
sent out on Monday. What happens is that there is a
letter gone with that explaining to the municipalities
what it entails, what they have to do to report back to
Municipal Affairs whether they accept the contract or
not. That is in the mail, it is in the works, and I
understand the question.
Thank you.
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.
Mr. Speaker, on April 26,
the federal government announced amendments to the
Patented Medicines Regulations to delay production of
generic drugs. Ottawa did not consult the provinces and
territories before they released the proposed
regulations and then gave only fifteen days to
governments to respond.
Mr. Speaker, these
regulations could possibly result in delayed savings to
provincial drug plans. This is especially troublesome
for this Province since we have experienced an increased
cost of 25.5 per cent from 2006-2007, the highest
estimated annual growth rates for drug spending per
person by a public program in the country.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the
Minister of Health and Community Services if his
department has engaged in this issue with the federal
government because of the impact their actions will most
likely have on the cost for the drug program in this
Province.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: The
issue raised by the member opposite is one that has been
a topic of discussion over the last number of years,
actually, between Ministers of Health and Community
Services across the country together with the federal
government. It is an issue, though, of some concern.
Obviously, any time there
is an action by a regulatory body - in this case, the
federal government - that will have a direct impact on
the people of this Province and other jurisdictions
around the country by driving up the cost of
prescription drugs. So, it is an issue that we are
engaged in a discussion around.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Mr.
Speaker, I am aware that some provinces responded to the
federal government when they made their release on April
26. Some asked for an extension of time, up to thirty
days, which is the more normal time that people who have
before responding to something from the federal
government. I know New Brunswick and British Columbia
have done that. I know that the National Union of Public
and General Employees have made statements.
Has our government made
representation to the federal government in responding
to this latest decision?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Not
directly in that same fashion, by asking for an
extension, no.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Well,
in what fashion, Mr. Minister? I ask you: Have you
written a letter? Have you responded at all? Have you
let them know that we are disturbed, as a Province,
about this decision? Because we have to cover drugs for
our people and this decision is going to benefit drug
companies and really affect provinces badly, and
therefore the people in the country.
In what way did the
minister respond to the government?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: At
the officials’ level, I say, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill –
Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: I
am sorry, I could not hear the answer; if the minister
could repeat it for me.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
MR. WISEMAN: I
was just too quick, obviously, Mr. Speaker, but let me
rephrase it and extend it a little bit.
In response to the
member’s question: the manner in which we have
responded in the Department of Health and Community
Services have been at the officials’ level, I say, Mr.
Speaker, and they have corresponded directly with their
counterparts in Ottawa.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill –
Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Just
for the record, Mr. Speaker - and this is not to get at
the minister, it really is not, but for the sake of
people here and for others in the room - I do have a
hearing difficulty and so that is why I use this all the
time.
Mr. Speaker, another
question for the minister: Nova Scotia has reformed its
means of procurement of pharmaceuticals and they
definitely are saving money because of what they have
done and B.C. has set up a task force to look into its
spending.
What I want to ask the
minister is: will this government create a provincial
body of some kind to work on a pharmaceutical strategy,
with the goal of delivering the best patient outcomes,
more streamlined drug review processes and best value to
the Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I am not sure that I would commit to creating a
structure that I want to define now, but what I can
commit to the member opposite and to others is, that as
a Province and as a government we are committed to
ensuring that we acquire, through our drug program,
prescription drugs at the lowest cost possible. We are
participating with other jurisdictions in mechanisms to
do reviews of drugs before they enter the market, to
look at their effectiveness, the efficiency and cost
benefit to the people of the Province. We are having
discussions with other jurisdictions through my
counterparts around mechanisms where we can collectively
look at how we purchase drugs and look at similar
practices that larger buying groups might engage in.
On an ongoing basis, I
say, Mr. Speaker, we are dealing with these issues
facing our prescription drug program in the Province. I
say, Mr. Speaker, we will, whether it is through that
kind of mechanism or some other, achieve the same kind
of objectives.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you. |
