Bill 17, The Health Act
November 30, 2010
Mrs. Forsyth: Well, Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. I have found this whole debate fascinating. I sometimes think that I’m here but not really here.
You know, it’s interesting. The former minister of health from Edmonton-Whitemud had the opportunity to fix the system. The former minister from Sherwood Park had the opportunity to fix the system. The former minister from Calgary-West had an opportunity to fix the system, and now the Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark has an opportunity to fix the system because, quite frankly, we still have a broken system.
I’m saddened to be speaking once again on Bill 17, the Alberta Health Act, which is cut short by a time allocation that the government has put forward. I’ve stood in this House over and over debating, and I’ve spent hours and hours listening intently. The Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark has provided a solution to the crisis we are facing in our emergency room, as has the Wildrose caucus. The amendment, that was defeated, included the guiding principles that no unnecessary deaths, no unnecessary harm to patients, no unnecessary delays in care, and no unnecessary waste of resources should occur, with some straightforward criteria that had to be met.
Bill 17 the way it is written talks only in the preamble about reasonable access to timely and appropriate care. Albertans want the wait times in legislation, not performance measures on a piece of paper. If the government is transparent, accountable, and serious about providing the best health care in Canada, then put your money where your mouth is and put it in legislation. The minister goes on to say that while there is nothing wrong with legislated time frames, the court system would become more involved than it already is. The Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark indicated that four conditions must be met for a successful lawsuit.
Mr. Speaker, where I’m struggling and, more importantly, what Albertans are saying is that if the government is serious about fixing the system, they first have to acknowledge that it is in crisis. We have heard from the health minister, and not only does he disagree that we are in a crisis, but he also doesn’t believe that the health care system is broken. Since October 25 the Wildrose caucus has continually asked the government pointed questions, which they respond to by saying that they don’t know. They dance around the question. They continue to repeat answers that are irrelevant to the questions, and I could go on and on.
Albertans want answers, and they want to know numbers, like how many net new acute-care beds there are in the health care system and how many beds have been closed. They want to know how many family doctors there are in the province and why it is so difficult to find one. They want increased home care and want to know how many nursing beds are available. They want to know how many long-term care beds are available, and they want our beloved seniors to quit being nickelled and dimed to death.
The government’s own documents indicate that Alberta’s health system is highly complex and confusing. People have difficulty accessing health services, and their own public service feedback indicates significant skepticism and mistrust of government. It goeseven further to say that the Alberta Health Act is not on the public’s radar and that wait times and access to family doctors are the number one concern and the number one priority of Albertans.
What is interesting here, Mr. Speaker, is that the government’s own MAC committee also recognizes that wait times and access to family doctors is the number one priority of Albertans. Now, once again the government has evoked time allocation on an amendment that Albertans have clearly articulated they support.
Mr. Speaker, in my 15 years in this Legislature I can’t remember an amendment that has pulled at the heart of Albertans this much. Not only are they upset about how the Member for Edmonton -Meadowlark was treated; they are appalled at the government refusing to listen to a front-line, well-respected emergency physician. What is and has happened to this individual is criminal; nothing more, nothing less. You know, when an issue is resonating with Albertans, they let their own MLAs know by the phone calls, the e-mails, tweets, Facebook messages. They stop you on the street asking and questioning: why is the government doing this?
The government pretends everything is all right. While they can live in their la-la-land, Albertans know differently. Albertans are tired of the government not listening. Albertans are tired of the government’s gobbledygook. Albertans are proud people. They want their MLAs to do the job that they were sent to do. They want their MLAs to listen and to represent their views. They want their MLA to stand up on their behalf, for them and their loved ones. What is truly sad, Mr. Speaker, is that the government has let the people of Alberta down. That is not acceptable.
I was in the government, Mr. Speaker, for many years. I know how they act, I know how they bully, and I know how they intimidate. I know how they always feel that they are right and that it doesn’t matter what Albertans want or think. I left that government on January 4 of this year because I couldn’t pass the mirror test anymore. When you have trouble not being able to look in the mirror anymore, it’s time to move on. My role as the MLA for the constituents of Calgary-Fish Creek is to represent my constituents, and as a member of the PC government I couldn’t do that anymore. Ten months ago I stood before the press and I stood before Albertans, telling them why I was crossing the floor for a number of reasons, health care being one of the top priorities.
Today, Mr. Speaker, is a sad day for Albertans, it’s a sad day for democracy, and it’s a sad day for health care in this province.