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Oral
Questions
May 5, 2009
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| In the House | Question
Period
MS
JONES:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the Fish
Price Setting Panel has agreed to reduce the price of
crab from $1.55 to $1.40, a move that neither the
Seafood Producers nor the FFAW are happy with. As a
matter of fact, we have learned just prior to coming to
the House of Assembly that as of 6:00 o’clock this
evening the processors in the Province will no longer
buy crab and will not issue any bait or ice to fishing
enterprises.
I ask the minister to
confirm that there is a scheduled shutdown for today at
6:00 p.m., and I ask him what
action his department is taking to try and sort out the
pricing issues that exist in the crab industry right
now.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: Mr.
Speaker, I guess my information tells me that the
processors are going back to the panel, the Price
Setting Panel, with a request; and, of course, it would
be inappropriate for me to make any comment on that
until the panel makes a decision as to where they are
going with regard to that request.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
It is our understanding
that the processors in the Province have already made a
decision, and that decision will be communicated this
afternoon, that the crab industry will be shut down as
of 6:00 o’clock today in Newfoundland and Labrador.
I ask the minister: If
they are going back to the table, what involvement do
you and your department have at that table to find a
more favourable pricing solution for this industry so
that it can continue?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: Mr.
Speaker, from the aspect of my department, our
responsibility is to provide the intelligence, the
research that is necessary for the panel to make the
decisions with regard to any requests that come in from
the processing side or the harvesting side. So, we will
continue to support the panel in their quest to make
sure that they have the proper information, the
up-to-date information that is required in order for
them to carry out their decisions.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, the panel that sets prices for the industry in
this Province have been delaying a decision on crab
prices for some time now.
I ask
the minister if he is satisfied with the work that they
have been doing, and if there is some kind of a
structural change that is required when it comes to
setting prices for fish in this Province.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and
Employment.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Given the very uncertain
and unstable conditions in the market, I really do not
think that the panel took an unreasonable period of time
to make this particular decision. In fact, I have every
confidence in the ability of that particular panel to
set those prices and to see to it that collective
bargaining in this particular industry is alive and
well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Last week in the House of
Assembly we asked the minister, were there any
contingency plans in place should the industry face a
shutdown? The minister stated that government was
looking at options and he was not going to leave anyone
high and dry.
I ask the minister today:
Now that it appears this
industry will be shut down as of this evening, can you
advise the House what actions your government will take
to ensure that the hundreds of fish plant workers out
there in the Province will not be left high and dry?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: Mr.
Speaker, again about a shutdown and that sort of thing,
that can be pretty dangerous talk; because, again, we
are on the floor of the House of Assembly and the Leader
of the Opposition is talking about a shutdown when in
actual fact the panel has not been engaged, no decision
has been made.
I would say to the Leader
of the Opposition, that as a government we are
responsive to the needs of industry, and in this
particular case the fishing industry, but we are not one
to just move without really looking at the situation. We
are monitoring this very, very closely. As I pointed out
the other day, we will do everything in our power to
make sure that the season continues, that if there are
any contingencies that need to put in place that we will
deal with them as they arise.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker, but I want to clarify it for the
minister.
It is our information
that it is the processing sector that is shutting down
the crab industry in the Province today, not the panel.
I ask
the minister, if he has information that is any
different than that which was provided to me, can he do
so in the House at this time?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: Mr.
Speaker, again, I am just reiterating that the
processing sector has not given any public notice that
they are indeed doing whatever they are supposed to be
doing and I would just say that I am not going to engage
in any type of fear mongering at this particular time.
We will take whatever comes our way but I would let it
unfold rather than try to be predictive of what might
happen and if it happens, what will this do and all that
do. I think it is incumbent on both sides of the House
to be a little bit more reserved in what we say on the
floor of this House so that we do not make these
uncertain times any more uncertain.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
It is obvious that the
minister is not in the loop and I would say he is not in
the loop on this next issue as well.
Mr. Speaker earlier today
the European Union voted to support a ban on the import
of seal products by a vote of 550 to 49. This is in
stark contrast with the minister’s comments from
yesterday that he hoped he had sown enough seeds of
doubt in the minds of the European Union representatives
to actually vote down the resolution or have it delayed.
It is obvious, Mr. Speaker, once again, that they have
misread and misjudged this issue.
I ask the minister: If
this issue was such a priority, why were you or
representatives of your government or your department
not in Europe yesterday attending these meetings and
making a lobby effort on behalf of the fishing industry
in this Province?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please.
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: Mr.
Speaker, I have to shake my head. I have to shake my
head. Less than a minute ago I had the Leader of the
Opposition on her feet talking about a crisis that was
looming in it, right? And you are asking me not to be
present in this Province at this time, when perhaps the
crab season is gone? I say to you, be responsible!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Lame excuse, I say to
you, minister. Lame excuse for not doing your job!
Mr. Speaker, the minister
promised an extensive advertising campaign and even left
the impression that his meetings in Ottawa with the EU
Ambassadors could help reverse the EU vote. That
certainly did not happen.
I ask the minister today:
What analysis has your
department conducted to determine what the economic
impact of this ban will be on sealers and the sealing
industry in our Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: Mr.
Speaker, when it comes to the seal harvest, I think of
the 6,000 sealers out there today, who are reflecting
upon where they are going to go. I think we all in this
House should reflect.
We passed a motion here
not too long ago, and we had one speaker up from the
other side. Obviously, that speaker got up and, again,
indicated how important it was for us to support our
sealers, the seal hunt, the harvest, and not to give any
ground to the European parliamentarians who are over
there judging us morally and telling us how we should
manage our fisheries.
We, as the government –
and I suspect even governments before us have stood
their ground. I say, and I say to the House Leader –
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude his remarks.
MR. HEDDERSON: –
you are mumbling there or something. Get on your feet
and talk about it then. Get on your feet! You get on
your feet, and I will defend, I will defend! Get on your
feet!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
It is only a few weeks
ago that this government was going to go it alone on the
EU issue. They were going to take on the European Union
themselves. They were not even going to involve the
federal government because they did not believe that
they could support their cause. What do we see today?
Complete failure on the issue to even convince, convince
people at that table to delay this decision.
Mr. Speaker, the minister
has mentioned that this ban could be challenged through
the World Trade Organization.
I ask the minister today:
Will this issue be taken to the
World Trade Organization, and if so, what strategy has
been developed to launch such a challenge?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: Mr.
Speaker, let me pick up where I left off when I got on
my feet the last time.
Again, I say to the
Leader of the Opposition, this government has taken a
stand when it comes to European parliamentarians and
where they want to go, and that stand is very important
for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. We have
been trying, as best we can, to work with our federal
counterparts. We have tried. They have refused to share
strategies with us. We have tried logic and reason. We
tried to shuttle diplomacy, but to get up and say we
have not been successful is to undermine the efforts not
only of myself, not only of our government, not only of
our Premier, but our sealers as well, and if you are
going to play those political games and try to get me up
on my feet, that is cheap. We want to make sure, Mr.
Speaker, that the people of the Province of Newfoundland
and Labrador know where we –
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I do not know what the
minister calls unsuccessful but a ban is complete
failure and demise for this industry in this Province
and he knows it and so do his colleagues.
I ask him today - he says
that there was no co-operation from the federal
government. I ask him today: What
meetings occurred between your government or your
Premier and the Prime Minister of the country to ensure
that there was an understanding and to engage their
support on this issue? We are only aware of
meetings that took place with ambassadors from other
countries that obviously did not prove to be very
fruitful at the end of the day.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: Mr.
Speaker, anyone that is following the seal harvest fully
expected a vote as the vote went today. That is not
where our efforts were. For us to try to undo that image
that is out there, it is an impossibility, let me tell
you, and to try to convince these special interest
groups to change course is a waste of energy, but where
we did direct it was towards our federal government and
also through the Parliament, the Cabinet ministers that
represent the council over there and the commission.
I say to you, and I say
too, again, we have now asked our Prime Minister, who I
would say – he is in Prague tomorrow, if he is there
today - is certainly an embarrassed Prime Minister in
light of what has happened. We are asking them, we are
asking the federal government to immediately, what we
have been asking for a number a years, take the WTO
action, put this on the table for our trade talks and
make –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I hope that the minister
has called the Prime Minister and made that request and
he is not just making it here on the floor of the House
as a grandstanding piece to this entire issue.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday
the Premier and the Minister of Finance used the time
frame of four weeks to describe the length of a
nurses’ strike should it happen in the coming weeks.
I ask the Premier: Is
this the official time frame that government is working
with in contingency plans or is it just an ad hoc figure
that you put forward yesterday?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr.
Speaker, the time frame that the government is working
on is zero. We hope there is no strike. We hope that the
nurses do not vote to strike, and that is our
preference. If they decide to strike - what we were
doing yesterday was basically laying out the math for
them - for every week that they are out they lose 2 per
cent. If they are out for a month they basically lose 8
per cent, and that was the analogy which I drew. The 8
per cent which was offered in the template was a very
generous offer which went to all our public service
employees to enable them to catch up; it would be
technically lost if the nurses are out for a month. That
is the math on it, quite simply.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The Premier and the
Minister of Finance stated in media scrums earlier that
nurses would be legislated back to work and a contract
imposed.
My question today is: If
government was to impose such a contract, will the
agreed-upon negotiated clauses that have already been
settled by both government and the nurses be maintained
in that contract?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr.
Speaker, we will allow the strike, if it happens, to
take its course. If it is for two days or two weeks or
two months, it will go on as long as it goes on. Our
primary concern during a strike will be patient safety.
That is what will govern us, and that is how we will
decide. So if, in fact, the nurses are out for an
extended period of time and it even goes for more than a
month, and the safety of patients happens to be
jeopardized, then we would be forced, under the
circumstances, to legislate the nurses back.
As to what the content of
that would be, we have not even contemplated. It would
certainly be a last resort for us, but that resort could
be based on the fact that we have no other choice to
protect the safety of patients; however, it certainly is
my understanding from the Minister of Health that there
is a very elaborate plan that has been put in place in
order to ensure the safety of patients. The nurses, of
course, essential services have been provided for
through the nurses. We will also be looking at the
possibility of actually flying patients out of the
Province if there are any emergency situations that
arise that cannot be handled with the volume that
happens to here at the particular point in time.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I
guess we want to know for the record, because government
has already indicated that legislating nurses back to
work is a high possibility in the middle of a strike,
and I guess we want to have some insurance that if there
is a settlement that would be imposed that it would be a
settlement that reflects the currently negotiated and
agreed-upon clauses that exist in the contract today.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr.
Speaker, the process of legislating anyone back is a
process that is brought before this hon. Legislature; it
is a democratic process. Debate will ensue, a proposal
will be put forward, and then we will engage in debate.
As a result of that debate we will see where that ends
up and we will see exactly what the terms of that
legislative proposal will be.
Like I said, that is a
last resort. We have not even gone there. The minister
and I have not even discussed it. The Minister of Health
and I have not discussed it. Our preference is that
there be no strike, but our priority is the safety of
patients and that is what will govern us in this
particular circumstance.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Recently, Shirley
Ryan’s story was featured in The Telegram. She
was an injured worker four-and-a-half years ago, and she
has had a number of difficulties in dealing with the
workers’ compensation commission. In fact, after
having a gruelling leg amputation, she was forced to
crawl back up her steps to gain entry into her house
simply because the commission had failed to provide her
with the proper form of assistance.
I ask the minister today:
What is being done in order to
assist injured individuals in this Province who are
dependent upon workers’ compensation and require
special services and programs to accommodate their
injuries?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister Responsible for the Status of Persons
with Disabilities.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Of course, for privacy
reasons, I am sure members opposite know that I am not
going to make any reference to any specific case or any
particular injured worker; however, what I can ensure
all members of this House, and all injured workers in
this Province, is that the Workplace Health, Safety and
Compensation Commission will work tirelessly with every
single injured worker in this Province to ensure that
they do get all of the benefits that they are due and
that they are entitled to.
In addition to that, I
would like to point out that we now have opened a new
client service office. That client service office is put
in place specifically to deal with such issues, and we
are very concerned and very well aware of the fact that
injured workers in this Province deserve all of their
entitlements. That office will see to it that those
entitlements are put in place.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Many injured workers in
the Province have had to wait in order to appeal
decisions that have been made by the Workplace Health,
Safety and Compensation Commission. Typically, I think
the injured worker must wait until they receive a
written document stating the reasons for the disapproval
of their claim. The minister should know that while the
commission is processing these claims and making those
decisions these workers are suffering.
I ask her today: What
is being done in order to speed up the processing of
claims and to assist claimants during the waiting
period?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister Responsible for the Status of Persons
with Disabilities.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Again, I refer to the
client service office that has recently been opened in
March 2008. Through that, we are ensuring very timely
adjudication of all cases that come before the
commission. In fact, we are committed to responding to
any phone calls that come our way within twenty-four
hours. We respond to any other correspondence within ten
days, ten business days. In addition to that, we have
been conducting both internal and external reviews of
our processes.
While we recognize that
there are times when we need to pay attention to certain
issues, we are also very cognizant of the fact that we
have a very dedicated staff, a very professional staff,
who do pay attention to all of those issues and who are
acting in the best interests of injured workers in this
Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I think, Minister, you
should also realize that there are a lot of injured
workers out there who feel that they are not getting
those return phone calls from the Workplace Health,
Safety and Compensation Commission. There are many of
them who feel that the case managers that are assigned
to their cases do not understand the extremity of their
injury and the circumstances that they live with. Mr.
Speaker, it seems for many of them that cases are about
delay and denial within this system.
I ask the minister: Why
are these vulnerable members of society being left with
nothing but frustration from the very agency that has
been set up to provide them with service at a time when
they need it the most?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister Responsible for the Status of Persons
with Disabilities.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Mr.
Speaker, a recent study that was conducted, an
independent study, in fact, conducted by WHSCC is
showing some very different statistics than what the
members opposite are reporting here. In fact, we are
showing statistics that indicate to us that out
clientele are very pleased with the level of service
that is being offered to them.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
MS SULLIVAN: There
are circumstances, Mr. Speaker, where investigations may
take a little longer. There are processes that have to
be followed, there are procedures that have to be
followed, but overall survey results are telling us that
there are huge improvements in the services offered and
that our clientele are very satisfied with those
services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I think the minister
needs to go talk to some more of her clientele because
the way it is right now, injured workers who need to
have their homes assessed and renovations done take
nearly two years before the contractor will actually
show up to do the work, simply because of the paperwork,
because of the process that is in place within the
commission.
I ask the minister today:
What is going to be done to
speed up this process to ensure that injured workers,
like in the case of Shirley Ryan, are not being
discharged after critical surgical procedures and not
being able to access their home or have any mobility
within their home?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister Responsible for the Status of Persons
with Disabilities.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Mr.
Speaker, home renovations, any modifications made to
homes, whatever we are talking about in terms of
repairs, have to be submitted to a particular process
where there is an assessment done, first of all, by the
medical team, in some cases by an occupational
therapist, and my information is not showing anything in
the area of two years for this. There is a particular
process. Medical providers are involved in this
particular process. Consultations are had between the
client and the medical providers.
However, there are times,
Mr. Speaker, when there are extenuating circumstances.
For example, whether or not the person owns the home or
is renting the home, whether we can get permission from
the owner of the home to do those particular
modifications. It is not as simple as simply walking up
to the house and saying: yes, this is what we are going
to do here today. There is a process, Mr. Speaker. It is
followed. It is not a two-year process.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I just have the one
question for the Minister of Justice.
Minister, yesterday again
we heard complaints involving the RNC and their
treatment of a mentally delayed teenager, and I am well
aware that the RNC did in fact have a press conference
just before the House opened today to explain what
happened in that particular case and of course the most
misunderstood and avoidable situations, usually, often
involve those suffering from mental, emotional or
neurological disabilities.
I ask the minister: In
view of what has happened in the last two weeks
involving these teenagers, do you feel that the current
offerings with respect to training for the RNC is indeed
adequate?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
To answer the hon.
member’s question, the answer is yes, I do. There has
been more money put into training for police officers.
All of our police officers take - all of our new
recruits take the Changing Minds program that is
offered by the Canadian Medical Association. They are
about to receive training in autism. Also, our
correctional officers have received the Changing
Minds programming as well.
I am aware of the
incident or aware of the story that appeared in the
media today about what happened yesterday but I think it
is early to come to a conclusion. I understand the
police are investigating and the Chief of Police will
make a statement and we will wait – it will be more
appropriate to make a statement after we get more of the
facts.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, when the
environmental assessment for District 17-18 was
released, the Department of Natural Resources was told
to halt activities in the old growth thickets area until
a public consultation took place with recommendations
from the Minister of Environment. We know that a logging
road was built through this forest but no public
consultations occurred.
I ask the Minister of
Natural Resources: Are
officials in your department turning a blind eye to the
directives from the Department of Environment?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister for Innovation, Trade and Rural
Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SKINNER: Mr.
Speaker, it is my understanding that that work has been
put on hold, but I will endeavour to find out and report
back to the hon. member the details.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: I
thank the minister for that.
Mr. Speaker, when the
environmental assessment for District 17-18 – I am
sorry, that is the same one.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. BUTLER: I
hope, Mr. Speaker, you do not take my time away.
Mr. Speaker, in wake of
the shutdown of the Grand Falls-Windsor mill, government
recently called for expressions of interest for the
development of Central Newfoundland timber resources,
yet section 13.(4) requires government to complete a
comprehensive consultation process with all forestry
stakeholders before even beginning to consider offering
new licences for this fibre.
I ask the minister: Will
this consultation process take place before any changes
take place?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural
Development.
MR. SKINNER: Mr.
Speaker, the Request for Proposals that the hon. member
refers to, we have a deadline date of May 22 for
submission of those proposals. We will wait to see what
comes in. Obviously, anything that we are required by
our own regulations to do, we will follow. We will
ensure to do that. Understanding, Mr. Speaker, that we
are in extraordinary times.
Obviously, the closure of
the mill in Central Newfoundland and Labrador is an
extraordinary act, and it requires that we be able to
respond nimbly and quickly to the situation as it
unfolds. Obviously, anything that we have to do, vis-à-vis
our regulations, we will endeavour to do so, Mr.
Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we
heard of the terrible case of the woman who received
incorrect medical treatment in Clarenville. Hers is,
unfortunately, one in a series of continuing adverse
events, such as inadequate maintenance of sensitive
equipment and personal information being released
inappropriately.
Mr. Speaker, in December
2008, the government accepted the report from the Task
Force on Adverse Events. One of the recommendations of
the task force is that regional health authorities
amended their disclosure policies to conform to the
Canadian Patient Safety Institute guidelines.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the
Minister of Health and Community Services, if whether or
not all the regional health authorities have amended
their disclosure policies to conform to the national
guidelines?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: I
understand that they have, Mr. Speaker.
I just want to speak to
the incident that the member identifies before the
House, and clearly, that is not an issue of an
organization having in place protocols or procedures.
What we are dealing with, as I understand it from
Eastern Health, is this was an incident involving the
performance of one individual who had not followed the
appropriate protocols, had not followed the laid out
procedures, and as a result of that there was an
administration of medication error. So this speaks to
the individual performance of an individual and not a
systemic issue, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My question to the
minister had to do with whether or not the authorities
had the disclosure policies in place. I think the
minister said that he thinks they have.
So now I ask him: Does he
know if the disclosure policies were followed in the
case of the Clarenville situation?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Again,
Mr. Speaker, from my discussions with officials with
Eastern Health, as soon as the incident was determined
or found out what had happened there was an immediate
contact with the patient, which is one of the first
steps in that whole disclosure issue that the member
opposite is questioning about. So I understand the
patient disclosure and the direction around patient
disclosure and the protocols around patient disclosure
were followed in this particular case.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
According to the Task
Force on Adverse Events on the national guidelines,
patients who are harmed by an adverse event should be
supported emotionally and physically. There are a number
of supports that are mentioned. I will pick one in
particular, timely access to further health care and
treatment.
I ask the minister: Why
was it that Ms Mojica-Fisher had to wait four days
before medical treatment was offered to her?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: The
member opposite is posing a question around the nature
of the intervention that may have been provided by
health practitioners in this particular case. I am not
prepared to stand in the House and discuss an individual
patient’s case. I am not prepared to discuss the kind
of medical intervention or clinical intervention or
other supports that might have been provided because
through that process I would be disclosing the
interaction and contact that this person has had with
the health system and who that person may have seen. Mr.
Speaker, I am not prepared to do that in a public way.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The time allotted for
questions and answers have expired. |
