No bonus, no apology
Green party motion voted down in the P.E.I. legislature
MLAS have voted down a motion by the Green party to give all heath-care workers in P.E.I. an incentive bonus and a public apology.
In the fall of 2022, the P.E.I. government announced a retention incentive program worth more than $8 million. This program was introduced to encourage health-care workers to stay in P.E.I. and continue providing their services.
The program offered financial incentives to registered nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses, paramedics and resident care workers in exchange for a one-year return of service agreement.
The incentives for healthcare workers include $3,500 for registered nurses and nurse practitioners, $3,000 for licensed practical nurses and paramedics, and $2,500 for residential care workers, home support workers and patient care workers.
However, other health-care workers like lab and X-ray technicians, therapists and physiotherapists, were left out of this program.
THE VOTE
A motion was moved by Green MLA Matt Macfarlane in the legislature on March 6 for the Progressive Conservative government to give all health-care workers who did not receive the retention incentive their due bonus.
The motion was voted against by 13 MLAS. Five MLAS, including Premier Dennis King, were not present for the vote.
P.E.I.’S Health Minister Mark Mclane, told the legislature on March 13 that health-care, recruitment and retention continues to be a challenge but said at the time the program was announced, it was specific to areas of health-care where vacancies and human resources were most needed.
“These incentives were provided in efforts to maintain the staff we had while working hard to recruit and fill existing vacancies across the health-care system. Again, these were implemented to stabilize the system.”
He said he has heard from other health-care workers and support staff who feel the incentive program is unfair. However, he said he wants to make it clear that despite the concerns raised, he deeply appreciates every health-care worker who tirelessly keeps the system running each day. The incentive program was not intended to imply anything other than its intended purpose.
“I value the feedback I have received through my focus on the frontline tour and including the feedback I received on this incentive program. I can not support this motion as it is presented. I will however continue to focus my time and energy on improving retention across the system,” Mclane said.
But Macfarlane said that his motion provided the PC government with an opportunity to rectify the healthcare workplace's unfairness, which it had created with the program and says he is disappointed to hear that the minister of health wouldn't be supporting the motion.
“Unfortunately, that (incentive program) had the exact opposite effect. The intended effect was not achieved as history has shown. So, a vote against the motion is a vote against attempting to achieve parity and equity in the health-care environment.”
UNION RESPONSE
The union that represents the health-care workers who were left out by the incentive program said in an interview it was extremely disappointed the motion was voted down.
Tracy Robertson, president of the International Union of Operating Engineers, which represents a variety of workers in P.E.I. including, medical professions with the health-care system said their members work just as hard as every other health care staff.
“I represent the lab people. And it was the lab that kept us going, worked over and above, to keep the island safe during COVID. And to have them basically excluded from any sort of initiative, recruitment, retention, whatever they wanted to call it, was very disappointing,” she said.
“The king government needs to realize that healthcare is a team, not just one part. They need to realize that this is a team that works together, and that everybody needs to be treated equally.”