Doctors group criticizes Kenney’s leadership
EDMONTON A group of Alberta doctors are questioning Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership after he called national politicians “divisive” in their attacks on the oil industry last week.
At a news conference last Thursday, Kenney condemned Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-francois Blanchet and Green party Leader Elizabeth May for questioning the long-sustainability of the Alberta oilsands the day before, saying the entire country relies on the sector and its revenue.
“These attacks on our natural resource industries are unwarranted, they are divisive, they are I believe in a way un-canadian at a time like this. It’s like blaming the victim,” Kenney said.
The remarks raised the ire of rural Alberta physician Dr. Julie Torrie, of Cochrane, who wrote a letter last Thursday signed by 156 physicians, and 114 allied health-care professionals and members of the public. It was shared publicly Wednesday by the advocacy group abdocs4patients, which sent an open letter to the health minister signed by 800 doctors at the end of March regarding pay changes.
In the letter, Torrie asks Kenney to examine his opinion on good leadership when it comes to physician compensation.
“Your request to the national leaders attacking oil was, ‘Please stop kicking us while we are down. These attacks are unwarranted and divisive.’ As a physician, I would request the same from you and your government,” Torrie wrote in the letter.
“Physicians want to be free to do their jobs during the pandemic and beyond, without the threat of a government and a ministry that continually refuses to involve key stakeholders.”
The letter called for the government to rescind Bill 21, which allowed the government to cancel its contract with doctors, reinstate that contract until the pandemic is over, and re-enter negotiations “in a meaningful way” with the Alberta Medical Association (AMA).
In an interview Wednesday, Torrie said she agrees that oil is an important part of Alberta and its economy.
“(But) I felt like that it was just a hypocritical statement, in that he clearly called out other leaders for not bringing people together and being divisive. From the start of the negotiations he and his team have been doing exactly that,” Torrie said.
The (AMA) filed a $255-million lawsuit in April in a bid to get the Alberta government back at the negotiating table.
In the meantime, “we’re going to lose a lot of doctors and lot of the services currently offered to Alberta patients,” said Torrie.
For Torrie, it’s not a compensation issue — it’s a trust issue.
“We are happy to take a pay cut. We realize right now our province is hurting and bleeding money and we don’t have the resources we had previously, and the AMA did make suggestions that would have had equivalent cost savings, and the government refused to work with them on that,” she said.
In response to a request for comment, the premier’s office referred Postmedia to Kenney’s previous statements on the issue.
Kenney has stuck to his mandate to reduce health-care costs by $2 billion through changes to doctor pay, although Health Minister Tyler Shandro has walked back some proposed changes.
“We’re now facing a $20-billion deficit. So while we continue to maintain and in some cases increase physician compensation, we must manage it in the future,” Kenney told the legislative assembly last Friday during question period.