How Alberta should prepare for future crises
COVID-19 response revealed need for reforms, Preston Manning writes.
Albertans, like too many Canadians, suffered tragic losses and damages due to the COVID-19 crisis: The loss of friends and loved ones due to the virus itself. Jobs and family income lost due to rigorous health-protection measures, essentially resulting in what became known as “lockdowns.”
Learning loss and reduced socialization for kids during periods of online learning. And for some, the loss or distancing of relationships with family, friends, and community relations during a time of social isolation. Not to mention, the polarization of personal and public opinions over various COVID-19 response measures.
In January of this year, the Government of Alberta commissioned the Public Health Emergencies Governance Review Panel to review the legislation and governance practices used during the management of the COVID-19 public health emergency and to recommend legislative changes to improve government responses to future health emergencies.
We spent 10 months seeking to better understand what legislative changes could better equip the province to cope with future public emergencies. One of our most significant observations was that while significant attention was given to the immediate threat of COVID-19 transmission, limited consideration was given to the other impacts on Albertans of the pandemic and the associated COVID response measures.
As chair of the panel, I'm pleased to announce that it has presented its findings and recommended changes to the Government of Alberta to better prepare the province to address future public emergencies.
Our final report includes a series of recommendations, which can be categorized under three themes:
Improving the performance of the administrative and regulatory framework governing the response to public emergencies; Achieving a better balance between protection from harm and protection of basic rights and freedoms; Increasing the capacity of Alberta's healthcare system to respond to a surge in demand for healthcare services.
Recommendations include reforms to the administration of emergency response and the rejection of provincewide school closures as a policy option, except in the most exceptional of circumstances.
We have also recommended amendments to strengthen administrative and court procedures for protecting rights and freedoms during a state of emergency. Alberta's Bill of Rights could be amended to provide more explicit protection of the right to informed medical consent and freedom of choice with respect to medical procedures.
The panel commends the government for having taken steps to increase the overall capacity of the health-care system. However, we have also recommended expanding the use of pharmacists, nurse practitioners and licensed practical nurses, streamlining administration, and reducing barriers to labour mobility for health-care workers. As well, expanding capacity to deal with mental health, increasing the use of virtual medicine, and expanding and improving the organization of home-care services would all ensure incremental improvement.
Finally, we recommend that the province invite representatives from countries with health-care systems that significantly outperform those of Canada and Alberta to a 2024 Colloquium on 21st Century Best Health-care Practices so that Alberta could benefit from their experience.
Our recommendations are based on the consensus of panel members as to how best to prepare Alberta to cope with future public emergencies, but we know that “preparing for future emergencies” is an evolving process subject to unforeseen factors and considerations.
While we hope that our work will provide the government with valuable feedback and inform their direction, Alberta's government should welcome and examine all perspectives and narratives on how best to manage future public emergencies.