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Oral
Questions
May 12, 2009
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| In the House | Question
Period
MS
JONES:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We have just been
notified that nurses have given notice to government
that they will take strike action, but it is an overtime
strike that they are planning and not a picket line
strike.
I ask the minister today:
What does this type of a strike
or shutdown mean in our health care system?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We were given notice
approximately half an hour ago that the nurses’ union
will take strike action but it will not be the typical
type of strike where you have picket lines, at least at
the beginning. They are going to refuse – the members
will refuse to work overtime.
Typically, Mr. Speaker,
when we think of a strike we think of picket lines, we
think of disruption in service. That is very
significant. This type of job action – and the
Minister of Health may be able to speak to it more –
will certainly have an impact.
What has happened here,
Mr. Speaker, is obviously the president of the union
doesn’t feel that she has the mandate to go out on
strike.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: She
obviously only has 50 per cent of the bargaining unit
who have voted to strike and she has a concern about the
support of her members. That is what is going on here.
In other words, Mr.
Speaker, the nurses want to get their 31 per cent raise,
they want to receive their pay, they want to go on
vacation, and yet they will jeopardize the health care
system in this way. It is very unfortunate, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I would think that the
nurses are doing this because they don’t want to cause
undue hardship, Minister, on a health care system that
is already stressed. It is unbelievable that you could
stand here today, as the Minister of Finance for this
Province, and incite them to do more than the action
they are taking.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the
minister today: When will this
strike be implemented, and what will be the contingency
plan within the health care system to deal with the
cutback in overtime?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Mr.
Speaker, I have to confess I don’t understand the
question of the Leader of the Opposition.
Essentially, Mr. Speaker,
we have indicated our concern for nurses and the value
that we place in their work. We have offered them a 31
per cent increase, in these economic times unheard of.
We know how hard nurses work.
Also, Mr. Speaker, at
least 37 per cent of them voted to accept our offer, so
a significant number of them are happy with the offer we
put in front of them. Why wouldn’t they be, Mr.
Speaker? In this day and age, with a 31 per cent
increase and other issues to address, recruitment and
retention, it boggles the mind to understand as to why
the union would not accept this.
As to why they are taking
the step they are taking, Mr. Speaker, I don’t
understand, but it is a typical situation of the union
wanting to have their cake and eat it too.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
All the minister is doing
is spinning government’s perspective on all of this.
The reality is they have given notice, we are going into
a strike, and there is going to be a cutback in overtime
services.
I ask the minister today:
When will that be implemented?
When will nurses stop performing overtime duties in
hospitals in this Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Mr.
Speaker, the notice we have been given indicates that
the strike will begin on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, and it
will begin with a refusal by our members to perform
overtime.
However, Mr. Speaker, it
also means that the nurses, although there will be a
form of strike, they will not be on the picket lines but
they will continue to be paid their wages; they will
want their 31 per cent raise. Particularly, Mr. Speaker,
I look at the overtime strikes dos and don’ts: Do work
only your regularly scheduled shifts, and do take your
scheduled vacation.
In other words, we are
going to have a type of job action that the union says
amounts to a strike, and I again have to reiterate,
obviously the president of the union does not have the
mandate to take her members out on the picket line, and
that she has a clear concern about that mandate - and if
I were in her position, Mr. Speaker, I would too.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I think the head of the
nurses’ union got a very clear mandate from her
members, and the minister knows that, when they voted 63
per cent to reject your final offer and 89 per cent to
walk the picket line, Minister. Maybe you forget that.
Mr. Speaker, the
government can avoid all of this. They can avoid all of
this. Send the two policy issues that are existing to
binding arbitration.
Minister, it seems like
the nurses are prepared to allow for the health care
system to continue at some level. I ask you and your
government: Are you prepared to
let it continue at every level and go to binding
arbitration?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury
Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We have been clear on a
number of occasions, both the Premier and myself, that
we will not be going to binding arbitration.
It was interesting last
night, Mr. Speaker, as I was reading Hansard in 1999,
and the Opposition at the time said to the Liberal
government at the time: Why won’t you go to binding
arbitration? Well, it would not be fair to the rest of
the unions in this Province.
Mr. Speaker, in 1999, the
nurses were offered a 7 per cent raise, as opposed to
the 31 per cent raise which is currently on the table.
Mr. Speaker, in 1999 there were 30,000 public sector
employees who negotiated deals, the same as there is
today.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, we
negotiated a deal with the correctional officers’
union for the first time in twenty-five years, that they
have reached a deal, and it shows that even a group with
a right to binding arbitration could reach a deal with
us because we are fair and reasonable and trying to
treat our employees well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I want to ask the
minister today what impact this will have on the health
care system. We already heard stories yesterday of
surgeries being cancelled in the Province because the
ICUs were full in St. John’s hospitals. We are aware
again today that both the ICUs are full in St. John’s
hospitals.
I ask you, Minister: With
the reduction of this service, what will it mean to
people who need surgeries and critical operations when
beds are full and nurses will be off the job?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, as I said yesterday in the House, and a couple
of days previous to that, any time there is a work
interruption, whether it is a strike or a job action
like we have heard described today, our primary
consideration is for those people who need emergency
care, those people who are the most critically ill, and
those people will be attended to whether we have this
job action we just heard described or we have a complete
walkout, a strike as we typically would have experienced
strikes in the past. Either way, Mr. Speaker, people who
are critically ill, people who need some emergency
services will still get it. There will be some changes.
This is a tactic by the
union that requires a modification to the method of
operation by each of our four authorities, but clearly
those people who need emergency service and those who
are most critically ill will get the service that they
need to make sure that they maintain the quality of life
that they deserve.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Maybe
the minister could give us an indication of how many
overtime shifts are being worked in the system, in our
health care system throughout the Province, so that we
have an idea of how many nurses will be off, and the
length of time that we will have no nursing services
provided within our hospitals in the Province.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I think it is important, if the member opposite
were listening to the question in response from my
colleague when he talked about the notice that we
received today, I think what the nurses’ union have
done is clearly indicated that they are not going to
work overtime in certain circumstances. Because they
have clearly indicated in their notice to us that they
will continue to work overtime at the end of their
shift. If there is a nurse assigned a patient load
today, at the end of their shift, if they are busy or
they have additional patients, or the person who is
coming in to relieve has not yet arrived, any number of
those circumstances, that individual will still continue
to work overtime on that shift.
The direction that we
have been given, or the notice that we have been given
from the nurses’ union is that if they are on their
day off and the institution or the organization that
they are working with gets busy they will not come in on
their day off.
Clearly, this is not a
suggestion that they will not work any overtime at all.
They have made a commitment to ensure that the patients
that they are caring for, at any give day, will continue
to get the care that they deserve from the nurse who is
on that day if it requires overtime.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Earlier today, a fire was
started at another St. John’s school, the second in
the past couple of weeks, and reports have indicated
that the fire alarm did not go off.
I ask the minister: Have
you been given any information as to why the fire alarm
did not function during this fire at the school this
morning?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KING: Mr.
Speaker, for the information of the Opposition Leader,
the information that I have been provided is that there
is an investigation ongoing and there will be a report
forthcoming.
I can say that, in that
particular building, all fire and life safety codes that
are required were up to par. I can also inform the
member opposite that work was done in that school on
those particular items within the 2008 school year, and
it has been inspected several times since then.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, the minister says that all of the fire and
safety codes in the school were up to standard, but we
already know the alarm did not go off, so obviously
there was a deficiency somewhere.
Mr. Speaker, we raised a
number of questions around fire inspections and life
safety inspections in schools in this House of Assembly
back in April and May of last year. The protocol that
was being followed by the school boards involved a
checklist that was being filled out by a school
representative or custodian who did not necessarily have
any fire safety training whatsoever.
I ask the minister today:
Have any of these protocols
been changed over the past year to provide for a more
effective and a more accountable process of fire and
life safety inspections in schools?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KING: Thank
you.
Mr. Speaker, first of
all, I did not realize that the Leader of the Opposition
was an expert on fire safety, so I will try and judge my
remarks accordingly.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. KING: As
I said many times, and I will repeat it again, there
have been regular inspections and regular protocols
followed.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Education.
MR. KING: Mr.
Speaker, the Opposition Leader is well aware that there
are daily inspections and there are annual inspections
carried out, not only by staff at the school level and
board staff but by independent staff and independent
professionals who are trained to do these kinds of
things.
I will repeat what I said
a few moments ago, that all of the codes that are
required by the national building safety code and the
fire safety code are certainly in place for this school
in particular.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
You do not need to be an
expert to know if an alarm goes off or it does not go
off, Minister, so maybe you need to get trained in how
to read sounding alarms.
A year ago, we pointed
out that there were deficiencies that existed within the
current fire inspection system for schools. It is
unfortunate that a year has passed and the government
opposite has not been able to do anything with regard to
this process.
I ask the minister: Why
is it that you and your government is unprepared to look
at implementing a process that involves detailed
inspections conducted by trained fire officials in
schools in Newfoundland and Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KING: I
say to the member opposite, you do not have to be an
expert on many things to stand here in this House and
ask those kinds of questions. I just provided an answer
to that, that we provide annual inspections and we
provide daily inspections and they are guided by the
fire department and they are guided by experts in the
field, and there is not much more I can say to that, Mr.
Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The minister also knows
that these people are not trained. It is a checklist. It
is on one sheet of paper. It has ten or twelve items.
The janitor, the principal, the teacher, the cafeteria
manager, anybody in a school can pick it up and tick
those particular things off. It is not being done by
trained officials from the Fire Commissioner’s Office.
Mr. Speaker, the former
Director of Education, Mr. Darren Pike, who is currently
the Deputy Minister of Education, committed last year to
do a complete review of the fire inspection process and
to provide a report on schools in the Eastern School
District.
I ask today: Was
this review ever completed, and if so, could you table a
copy of it in the House of Assembly?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KING: That
is an earful, Mr. Speaker. I say no need to raise your
voice and shout. I can hear the question and I will do
my best to answer it for you.
First of all, Mr.
Speaker, I will talk about two particular things. One is
that you do not need to be an expert to perform the
daily inspections that occur in schools, Mr. Speaker.
There is a checklist of items that have to be followed,
that are outlined by the Building Safety Code and the
fire department. You do not need to be an expert, Mr.
Speaker. I suggest the Opposition Leader could even do
it if she wanted to.
Secondly, Mr. Speaker,
the annual inspections are performed -
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude his answer.
MR. KING: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I will conclude by saying
that the annual inspections are in fact performed by
experts in the field, Mr. Speaker, people who are
trained to go in and assess fire equipment and fire
alarms and fire emergencies and exit doors and all the
kinds of things that are a part of keeping a school
safe.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The minister might stand
there and think it’s cool to play fast and loose with
life safety issues in schools in this Province, Mr.
Speaker, but I certainly do not feel that way. That is
why we have been raising these issues for over a year.
I ask
him again, your deputy minister today, when he was a
head and the CEO of the Eastern School Board, committed
to do a review of the schools in that school district.
Was the review ever completed, and will you table it in
the House of Assembly?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KING: Mr.
Speaker, I say to the member opposite, that we have an
expectation that all reports and all inspections are
performed on a regular basis, the kinds of inspections
that are very extensive and very intrusive.
I say, Mr. Speaker, when
we talk about the daily inspections that are performed
in schools, we are talking about inspecting windows and
doors and hallways and the kinds of things that you do
not have to be an expert to do.
Mr. Speaker, the annual
inspections require more intrusive review. We are
talking about inspecting alarms in the ceiling and
wiring and those kinds of things, and they are performed
by experts, Mr. Speaker.
I say to the member
opposite, we have invested over $10 million in the last
number of years in life safety issues in schools because
we are concerned about what is happening.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The minister obviously
does not know the answer, maybe check his Blackberry and
the deputy might have e-mailed him the information.
Mr. Speaker, back in June
we wrote the Fire Commissioner’s Office and asked that
there be fire inspections done in twenty schools in this
Province. These were twenty schools that were reported
to our office by individual parents, students or
teachers.
I ask
the minister today, if you can confirm whether these
inspections had ever taken place and what were the
results of them?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KING: Mr.
Speaker, certainly, I will do my best to provide the
member opposite with as much information as I can for
items for which I am responsible. I have to say that I
do not work for the Fire Commissioner; I do not work for
the Opposition Leader. I have never seen a request from
the Opposition, so I cannot respond as to whether the
Fire Commissioner has acted appropriately.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Maybe I will direct my
question to the Minister of Municipal Affairs because we
did ask the Fire Commissioner’s Office to carry out
these inspections.
I ask
the minister, if she is aware of these inspections ever
being done? If so, what were the results, because we
never did hear back from the Fire Commissioner’s
Office?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
MR. KING: Mr.
Speaker, I will repeat once again for the member
opposite. I am obviously - I apologize to the House if I
am not communicating clearly. We are not aware of any
such list. If the member opposite would like to provide
me with a list I will certainly endeavour to see if the
particular schools identified have been inspected.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, another week, another school affected by poor
air quality. This time St. Joseph’s in Lamaline was
closed due to the discovery of mould. Fortunately, it
appears the walls can be replaced and the students will
not be out of school too long. A comprehensive air
quality review could have picked up on this problem and
fixed before the school even opened.
I ask the minister: With
the continuing discovery of mould in the schools, will
you finally commit to a process that will inspect every
school in the Province.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KING: Mr.
Speaker, I think I have responded to the member
opposite’s question several days ago on that.
We are certainly very
concerned any time we find mould in schools. I am
certainly very aware of the issue at hand and I have
personally met with the school council and the
administration of that school. So I certainly do
understand all the details there, and I am certainly
well aware that the appropriate action has been taken,
the problem has been rectified, an air quality test has
been completed, and results are expected back by the end
of this week.
I also remind the member
that we are still continuing to be committed to air
quality through the process of enhanced inspections, Mr.
Speaker, and as a reminder, those inspections are
carried out by professionals in the field. Professionals
like environmental health officers who go in and do
very, very extensive testing of the many assets of a
school that could lead to moisture and lead to mould.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, the only way this issue can be resolved is with
a comprehensive air quality study done.
Mr. Speaker, this summer
season is an ideal time to inspect and identify problems
with air quality in the schools.
I ask the minister: What
plans does government have to undertake air quality
inspections at the provincial schools during this summer
season?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KING: Mr.
Speaker, as I think I have outlined before, we have an
extensive plan in place through the Department of
Education, engaging environmental health officers and
others to carry out enhanced inspections and inspections
of building envelopes, and we are following through on a
process of regular inspection working through every
school in the Province.
I say to the member
opposite, that we will respond as the need arises. If a
district identifies to us a priority or a problem area,
as they did just this week in Lamaline, we will respond
immediately.
I say to the member
opposite that, clearly, we are taking direction from
experts in the field. From engineers who are trained in
this area and they are well in the position to advise us
on what is the appropriate way to best try and detect
air quality issues, Mr. Speaker. It is a process that we
have engaged in right now, and it is a process that we
will continue to use.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, earlier in this session I asked the Minister of
Government Services for an update on air quality testing
in schools for asbestos. The alternate minister
committed to look into the issue and report back.
In the 2009 Auditor
General’s report it was noted that only 28 per cent of
those schools requiring air quality testing had been
tested as of April, 2007.
I ask the minister: How
many of these schools are still waiting to receive
proper asbestos testing and how long will it take to
complete the remaining inspections?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. KING: Mr.
Speaker, just for the benefit of the members opposite, I
think I actually tabled that information last week on a
subsequent day to when the question was asked. All but
ten schools were completed as of March 31 last year, and
the other ten – excuse me, March 31 of 2009, and the
remaining ten will be done this spring.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My question is for the
Minister of Justice.
Minister, I realize that
federal sentencing principles are enacted by the federal
authorities; however, we have recently heard several
cases of individuals who were either convicted or facing
additional charges for acts they committed while they
were supposed to be on house arrest. The most recent
unfortunate accident occurred over the weekend where a
woman was killed in a car accident near Boyd’s Cove.
I ask the minister: Is
the house arrest option a viable sentencing option in
your view?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr.
Speaker, I think the hon. member is well aware that
sentences for criminal matters are set out in the
Criminal Code of Canada, which is an act of the
Parliament of Canada, not the Legislature of this
Province. Also, of course, judges assign sentences based
on past precedent. As the hon. member is well aware,
under the rule of independence, judges are independent
of the House of Assembly and unfortunately I cannot tell
them what they should be doing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I am well aware the
minister cannot tell judges what to do. I am well aware
the Criminal Code provisions are federal statutes. I
alluded to that in my preamble. As the Minister of
Justice you are responsible for the administration of
justice in this Province. That includes all of the laws,
including the Criminal Code.
Mr. Speaker, there are
obvious questions related to these instances, such as
whether these individuals were required to wear ankle
bracelets to ensure that they were following court
orders to stay within the perimeters of their house
arrest.
I ask the minister: Are
monitoring bracelets a part, a requirement, of all house
arrest sentences that are imposed in this Province? If
not, do you know why they are not?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr.
Speaker, I will be happy to investigate and check and
provide an answer to the hon. member with respect to his
question on the monitoring bracelets.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: In
addition, Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if the minister
can tell me: Once a house
arrest is imposed as part of a recognizance, or some
sentence, is there a monitoring process in place within
our court system which monitors the activities of these
individuals and whether they do, in fact, stay at home
as they are required to do?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr.
Speaker, I will check with officials and get the details
on that question, and get back to the House.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My next question is for
the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.
Yesterday, TeleTech call
centre announced it would be closing, throwing about 300
people out of work. I ask the minister: Did
government have any advance notice of this closure, and
what, if anything, is anticipated will be required to
assist these individuals who are now out of work?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural
Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SKINNER: Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, government
was advised, as per the Labour Relations Act, through
the Department of Human Resources, Labour and
Employment, by TeleTech, the employer, as is its
legislated duty to do so. They gave notice that there
will potentially be layoffs come August month due to a
loss of a contract, or a non-continuation of a contract.
That company is in the process of trying to find other
contracts to keep those people employed, and hopefully
the layoffs will not have to come into effect as notice
was provided for.
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, last week we
in my office received information that an untrained
twentyish-year-old volunteer in the ER at the Health
Sciences was stocking medications, including IV bags
containing different medications but with nearly
identical labels. Mr. Speaker, this type of situation is
asking for trouble in a busy emergency room situation.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the
Minister of Health and Community Services if he can
confirm if this is a regular practice in hospitals’
emergency rooms.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Mr.
Speaker, I said in the House earlier in my statement
that we have a $2.6 billion budget in Health. We have
some 18,000 employees and probably 4,000 or 5,000
volunteers. We have 130-odd buildings around the
Province, and she wants to know whether or not I know
the work assignments of volunteers in one of our health
facilities.
Mr. Speaker, there is a
certain expectation that the people of the Province
should have of what the minister should or should not
know about what is going on in our health system. We
have four regional health authorities who have a
legislative mandate to be responsible for the delivery
of health programs and services throughout Newfoundland
and Labrador.
We have delegated,
through that legislation - in fact, the legislation was
passed here in this House of Assembly and members
opposite would have voted on it. That legislation gives
them the mandate, the role and responsibility, to
deliver those services. As a minister, I would never
know the work assignments of all of the staff, let alone
the some 4,000 or 5,000 volunteers, 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 very much, Mr. Speaker.
I hope the minister is
not making light of what I have just asked, in the light
of what happened with regard to medication that was
given by error –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh,
oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
MS MICHAEL: -
in the hospital in Clarenville, because that is the
point of this question.
Does the minister believe
that it is proper for untrained volunteers to be dealing
with medications? I am asking does he believe it, and
will he check on the system of volunteering that would
have volunteers working in this serious area?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Now,
that is a sensible question. That is not the question
that she asked in the first place. She asked whether I
knew, and I do not know. Now, whether or not we should
have volunteers tasked and given certain
responsibilities that are critical to patient care,
those where you need a certain level of training, you
need a certain level of understanding, or that the issue
that there is a certain degree of risk and there is a
high risk of a mistake, and if there is a mistake made
there is a high risk of some harm to a patient, in those
areas, yes, I would acknowledge that it is inappropriate
to have volunteers involved in those kinds of tasks.
I say, Mr. Speaker, to
whether or not I would, as a minister, know that is
taking place, no I would not - which was the subject of
her first question. I was not necessarily mocking the
significance of your question. What I was suggesting
was, if you want some information in this House, ask a
sensible question and you will get a sensible answer. I
have never been with any information –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Member for
the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, a Statistics
Canada study released in 2008 reveals that medication
errors were strongly related to overtime and work
stress. Adding into this mix, the whole mix of untrained
individuals restocking IV bags would seem to be a road
map for disaster.
Mr. Speaker, I am asking
the minister: What will he do to specifically deal with
the situation that I have described and with this issue?
He has not answered that question.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: In
our health system there are four authorities, Mr.
Speaker, that have been extremely successful in
recruiting a strong network of volunteers. Each one of
our health organizations has auxiliaries. We have people
who operate gift shops. They have people who provide
direct services to patients. In fact, many of the
members up in the gallery today are members of an
auxiliary in the hospital in Clarenville, the one you
made reference earlier, and they do fine work, they do
quality work, they are dedicated individuals who care
about the patients they see.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: They
care about the quality of care they give and they are
very eager to be an active participant in the delivery
of that care and they do great work. I encourage them, I
encourage more to get actively involved, Mr. Speaker,
because we need them in our health system, our
communities need them. I congratulate them and commend
them for their commitment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The time allotted for
questions and answers have expired. |
