Protecting care could be ‘Bill 1’ for MLAs
Health Minister Sarah Hoffman says she’s developing legislation aimed at protecting public health care ahead of MLAs’ return to the legislature next week.
“It could very well be Bill 1,” she told reporters Wednesday. “There’s a lot to do in public health care, especially under threats of privatization.”
Premier Rachel Notley has scheduled a throne speech Monday, spurring speculation she will drop the writ shortly afterward. She is expected to launch a 28-day campaign period for an election before May 31.
Hoffman wouldn’t confirm if a bill introduced next week would pass. She also didn’t offer up details on what the legislation will address.
“It is something that I’ve been grappling with for a few years, how we can find ways to strengthen the public healthcare system here in Alberta,” she said. “This is something many Albertans care deeply about.”
The move follows several health-care platform promises rolled out by the UCP.
In February, UCP Leader Jason Kenney promised he would launch a performance review of Alberta Health Services within 30 days of taking office.
At the same news conference, he signed a health guarantee on a giant bristol board, saying the UCP would maintain or increase health spending and ensure a universally accessible, publicly funded health-care system.
Alberta has the highest age-adjusted health-care costs in Canada, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. The current Alberta Health budget is $22.1 billion, with $15.2 billion allocated to Alberta Health Services.
Kenney called the NDP’s focus on public health care a “medi-scare” campaign and said voters will not be diverted.
“They love trying to scare patients and seniors,” he told reporters Wednesday.
“Minister Hoffman is the very ideological New Democrat who decided the most important health infrastructure priority for the province wasn’t the South Edmonton Hospital or a new Red Deer hospital ... it was a big lab building that won’t actually be about directly treating patients.”
On Tuesday, Kenney announced that his government would cancel a $590-million Edmonton Laboratory Clinical Hub, arguing it’s a waste of money.
The move would reverse a planned $50-million purchase of Dynalife labs, an Edmonton-based company with about 1,200 workers. The central facility would take responsibility for all of the medical tests in the Edmonton region.
Hoffman said with preparation for the new facility underway, the UCP wants to go back in time.
“There happens to be a very clear division between what Rachel Notley’s values are and Mr. Kenney’s values,” she said Wednesday.