Steph Paquette

November 28, 2022

$290 For a Child to Gain Access to a Physician is Wrong!

During question period MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked the Minister of Health her rational for letting private enterprises charge high fees to people in order to gain access to physician’s phone consultations as emergency rooms are backlogged and overwhelmed?

“On November 21st, the government sent a letter directing Primary Care Organizations to offer clinical services 7 days a week, including evenings due to “high-volume pressures across our health system”. But starting this Thursday people with sick children will have to pay. Here is what Gail Kirk had to say: “I guess my Christmas presents to my 4-year-old granddaughter and my 4-month-old grandson will be a $290 annual subscription to KixCare. Gramma who lives on CPP and OAS will have to do the government’s job of ensuring access to health care. If this is your idea of improving access, then get out of politics.” What would the minister like to say to Mrs. Gail Kirk?”

Last week CBC Toronto reported a virtual pediatric clinic which had previously provided services without charge was changing their business model to a subscription-based service.

“Mrs. Gail Kirk is not the only one worried about the change coming on December 1st. Sara from Nickel Belt lives with a disability she wrote to me concerned with these changes. She writes “my kids are away at school, my parents are elderly and live in a rural area with no wifi; I can’t emphasize enough how much we depended on phone GP appointments. I’m really concerned my very ill parents will contract COVID at their doctor’s office, and that seems unnecessary and ludicrous.”

Speaker, is decreasing access to telephone consultations during a time of “urgent system pressures” ludicrous, or is it another proof that the Minister is trying to push patients to private services where they pay out of pocket to gain access to the care they need?”

On November 28, the Ford government voted down a bill sponsored by MPP Gélinas which would have increased oversight of clinics who charge unfair fees for access to healthcare services.

November 24, 2022

Will the Minister Listen to Our Province’s Healthcare Workers?

During question period MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked the Minister of Health, when will she listen to our province’s overworked health care workers?

“The Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Sciences is here today. They represent radiation therapists, sonographers, and radiological, nuclear medicine and MRI technologists. They are the health care professionals who perform critical diagnostic tests and therapy on the front lines of our health care system.

They recently polled their members who said.. they are overworked, burned out, and facing the same staffing shortages as all professionals working in health care right now. This is a message that all health care workers are trying to get the government to acknowledge and respond to. Minister, how long before the government takes action to deal with this health human resources crisis in medical radiation sciences?’’

The Ford government continues to ignore calls for the withdrawal of Bill 124, a bill which froze the wages of all public sector workers and has been cited as one of the main causes of the human resources crisis in Ontario’s health services.

“The Association of Medical Radiation Sciences is just the latest group of health professionals raising concerns about understaffing. The backlog of diagnostic MRIs and CAT scans will not improve without them.

Today, representatives from 295,000 health care workers are here to try to get the government to pay attention to this crisis, to listen to their solutions. Will the minister agree to listen to health representatives from OCHU, CUPE, ONA, OPSEU/SEFPO, Unifor and SEIU who are here today at Queen’s Park? They have solutions. Will you meet with them?”

Leaders from five major healthcare unions along with front-line care staff held a media conference today. They did so as all sectors of Ontario’s health care system are buckling under the weight of staff shortages. And to tell the Ford government that privatization is not the answer.

November 21, 2022

Treat Seniors with Respect, Withdraw Bill 7

During question period this morning MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked Premier Doug Ford to withdraw Bill 7, a bill which allows alternate level of care patients to be send to long term care homes not of their choosing, hundreds of kilometers away.

This morning the Ontario Health Coalition and the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly announced a charter challenge against Bill 7. Bill 7 takes away the rights of frail elderly people to give consent and to keep their personal health information private. All week-end health care workers have been reaching out to me, social workers, nurses, physicians; they do not want to have to tell their patients that they have to pay $400 a day or move to a LTC home hundreds of kilometres away from their home. Many of them will quit their job, rather than do something that goes completely against their ethical and moral values. You see speaker, contrary to this government health care workers do not discriminate against frail elderly people, they care for them!

‘Will this government do the right thing and repeal bill 7’’ Gélinas asked. In September Gélinas wrote to Ontario Human Rights Commissioner Patricia DeGuire asking for recommendations regarding the rights seniors lost under this legislation (Bill 7).

This morning the Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition, Natalie Mehra was joined by the Executive Director of the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, Graham Webb, to announce the two groups will be co-applicants to an Ontario Superior Court of Justice Charter Challenge. They are seeking the court to strike down Bill 7, as a violation of the fundamental rights of patients under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They were joined by their legal representative Benjamin Piper from the law firm Goldblatt Partners LLP.

November 18, 2022

Fixing Homecare Means Compensating Workers Properly

During question period Tuesday morning MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked the Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones, whether she is satisfied with our home care system.

“Minister, every single week my office receives multiple calls regarding the failures in our home care system. Elizabeth is a senior in my riding who ends up sleeping in her chair at least once a week, because Bayshore doesn’t send a PSW to help get her into bed” Gélinas stated.

“Homecare reliability is so bad, patients who want to, who should be and could be at home, are stuck in hospital, leading your government to pass a law overriding frail elderly patient rights to consent and push them in a LTC home far away from home. Can the Minister please tell me if she thinks that our homecare system is meeting the needs of Ontarians?’’

The Ford government’s Bill 7, More Beds, Better Care Act became law in September 2022; it allows hospitals to send alternate level of care patients to long term care homes not of their choosing up to 150 kilometers away.

“Minister, our home care system is broken, it fails thousands of people every single day. Since this government was elected 5 years ago, nothing has changed. There is a huge human resources crisis in home care because this government does not fund home care adequately. Solving the home care health resources crisis means providing permanent full-time, well-paid jobs, with benefits, sick days and a pension plan. Then many PSWs not working in health care will come back to work in home care.

When will this government admit that home care is an integral part of our health care system and provide directives and funding to support it as such.”

Average PSW wage in Ontario currently sits at approximately $18 according to multiple employment and staffing websites with negligible or no benefits.

November 17, 2022

Government’s Health Care Priorities Are Suspect

This morning during question period MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked Premier Ford why his government continues to ignore the crisis is our province’s hospitals.

“We all know the Premier will use the long wait times, the overcrowding and the ER closures to justify bringing in US-style healthcare to Ontario. He will say we need to “innovate” just like Mike Harris did when he privatized home care. The private home care providers were going to do things better: faster, and cheaper, but today we all know that never happened.

Why is this government so determined to dismantle our publicly funded and publicly delivered healthcare system?’’ Gélinas asked.

The Ford government continues to ignore the severe shortage of health human resources in Ontario’s health care system. Yesterday, an NDP Motion focussed on health care worker recruitment and retention was roundly rejected by the government majority in the legislature.

October 31, 2022

Allow Nurse Practitioners to Offer More Solutions

This morning during question period MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked Health Minister Sylvia Jones why the Ford government continues to ignore the solutions Nurse Practitioners (NP) have to offer.

“Minister, the Nurse Practitioners Association is at Queen’s Park today, they have a very simple ask; lift the cap on the number of Nurse Practitioner Led Clinics (NPLC). The 25 NPLC across the province are all success stories. Every one of them provide access to top quality interdisciplinary primary care to over a hundred thousand Ontarians who used to go to one of our overcrowded emergency departments for care.

Minister, will you lift the cap on the number of Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic so unattached patients in community across Ontario, including Coniston in my riding, can gain access to primary care.’’ Gélinas asked.

According to the Globe and Mail, nearly 1.8 million patients in the country’s most populous province did not have a regular primary-care provider as of March 2020 and another 1.7 million Ontarians had a family doctor who was nearing retirement age.

“Another step the Minister can take to help the over 1.3 million Ontarians who do not have a family physician and who need access to primary care, by simply adding more Nurse Practitioner positions to the existing clinics. It is a very cost effective and immediate step the government can take. These nurse practitioners will help patients, help the health care system, and save money. It is a win-win-win solution.

Every NPLC has a wait list. In Capreol where the NPLC is the only health care service available, there are thousands of people who need access to primary care and there are NPs available to fill these roles; but they have no funding to hire them. Their funding proposals sit unanswered.

Minister why are those affordable, effective, and immediate solutions being ignored?”

Nurse Practitioners are registered nurses with advanced university education who provide a full range of health care services to individuals, families, and communities. Regulated by the College of Nurses of Ontario, NPs must meet rigorous requirements to maintain ongoing registration.

November 14, 2022

Why are we ignoring Nurse Practitioners?

France Gélinas MPP for Nickel Belt and NDP Health Critic rose in the legislature this morning to draw the attention of the Ford government to the important work that is done and can be done by Ontario’s Nurse Practitioners.

“I rise today to speak to the important work Nurse Practitioners do serving patients in every corner of this province and why we need this government to fund more NP positions. At a time when many family physicians are retiring, patients across Ontario lose access to primary care leaving them dependant on walk in clinics or emergency rooms. Meanwhile Aboriginal Health access centres, Community Health centres and Nurse practitioner led clinics all have NP they could hire but the government will not fund them. These Nurse Practitioners can assess, treat or advise patients with complex medical conditions who otherwise end up in our overcrowded emergency rooms.

Unfortunately, this government refuses to modernize their antiquated funding models so NP can be hired to provide their excellent services to more patients. For example, the executive director of a nurse practitioner clinic, usually a nurse practitioner themselves; is required to have 800 patients on their individual roster, while still being responsible for administrative duties required to run a medical facility. In fact, these funding models are so rigid that the government claims they are still working on the paperwork to provide nurse working in these clinics with the retention bonuses that was promised 9 months ago.

If this government really wants to improve access to health services to thousands of people in Ontario a small investment in Nurse practitioners’ positions will pay off in every sector of our health care system.”

During this morning’s meeting of the Social Policy Committee at the legislature it was noted Nurse Practitioner led clinics have not received a base budget increase in 12 years.

November 2, 2022

Stop Disrespecting Public Sector Workers and Get Back to the Table!

NDP Health critic France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) questioned the Minister of Education on the Ford government’s pattern of disrespecting public sector fields, especially those dominated by women.

“We are joined today by members of OSSTF and OPSEU, including medical laboratory technologists, teachers, social workers, educational assistants, early childhood educators and many other essential workers. They are calling for immediate action to respect all those public sector workers. Premier, will you listen to those professionals and other unionized public sector workers; withdraw Bill 28 and go back to the bargaining table with CUPE?”

The Ford PC government tabled legislation Monday that would impose a contract on Ontario’s education support workers and ban their right to legally strike. If passed, the bill would invoke the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause to eliminate the rights to collectively bargain and strike for the first time in Canada.

Gélinas continued “This government has established a pattern of disrespecting and devaluing public sector workers. We are seeing it in health care, and we are seeing it in education. They seem to have a particular disdain for sectors dominated by women workers. We have seen it with the devastating impact of this government’s low-wage policy – Bill 124.

Education workers and health care workers are exhausted, demoralized and leaving their jobs. Yet the government continues to deny what they and many other people want, this government to respect their Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They want them to go back, talk to CUPE, get an agreement that nobody likes—you won’t like it; CUPE won’t like it—but everybody can live with. Will you withdraw Bill 28 and go back to the negotiation table?”

October 31, 2022

Time for the Province to Properly Fund Hospices and Palliative Care

This morning during question period MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) asked the Ford government why Ontario Hospices continue to struggle to access proper government funding.

“Members of Hospice Palliative Care Ontario are at Queen’s Park today. Their message is really clear: Annualized operating funding increases are needed now to prevent the collapse of the lower cost, highly valued hospice sector. Does the Premier thing that palliative care patients should go grocery shopping, cook their own food, wash their own dishes? Does he think that they should change their own bed and do their own laundry? Does he think that they should clean their room, wash the floor, take their trash to the curb? Does he think that palliative care patients should pay for heat, hydro, telephone, cable, Internet? I don’t. Why is it that the Premier does not fund any of these basic services in Ontario hospices?’’ Gélinas asked.

Hospice and Palliative Care Ontario’s recent user survey found that more than half of family caregivers reported that hospice volunteer support helped avert a trip to the ER saving the system $10,000,000 in unnecessary ER visits.

“The government funds 50% of the operating cost of our hospices. The community funding model that the hospices depend on is broken. The words “hospice palliative care” are nowhere in the last budget that this government tabled. The reality is that the costs continue to escalate while community donation power is challenged by economic realities, including the pandemic. Hospices are not only a pressure valve for emergency room crises, but they’re an access point for grief, for bereavement, for mental health services. Members of Hospice Palliative Care are here to remind us that hospice palliative care means system savings and efficiencies. It means improved patient care and caregiver experience.

Nobody should spend their last day alive washing dishes. Can your government commit today to funding hospices to a minimum of 70% of their operating costs?”

In the last five years, 23,000 people in Ontario were discharged from hospital or bypassed hospital going to a hospice residence according to Hospice and Palliative Care Ontario.

September 14, 2022

Ford government confirms cruel scheme to bill hundreds a day, send seniors hours away

NDP responds to disturbing new details of legislation forcing people into long-term care

On Wednesday the Doug Ford government confirmed Bill 7 will force people into long-term care homes they didn’t choose as far as 150 kilometres away, and require hospitals to charge families $400 a day if a senior doesn’t want to move there. NDP Health Care critic France Gélinas and NDP Long-Term Care critic Wayne Gates released the following statement in response:

“Now we know that Doug Ford’s government will require all hospitals to bill all families ready for long-term care a whopping $400 a day — or wave goodbye to their loved ones and watch helplessly as they are ordered to move hours away. Removing frail elderly people from their loved ones and essential caregivers is horrifying, and will cause seniors’ health and well-being to go downhill fast. Imagine having to drive two hours to kiss your wife goodnight. Imagine the guilt of knowing you can’t afford to pay $400 a day to keep your dad in hospital, and having to put him in a for-profit long-term care home with a devastating record and disgusting living conditions.

These seniors do not have doctors and nurses assigned to them when they’re in hospital. Forcing them to move will not ease our health care staffing crisis one bit. What we should be doing is addressing the staffing crisis at the heart of our health care crisis, not playing a cruel game of musical chairs that kicks seniors and people with disabilities out of hospital beds.”