Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As an ER doctor I know Albertans should not drink and drive, and as legislators we know that we shouldn’t speed ill-conceived laws through the Legislature while sleep deprived.
More accidents happen on our roads because major highways like highway 63 aren’t twinned, cars don’t have snow tires, and there aren’t enough officers on the street to enforce the laws that we already have. Front-line health staff always listen to their patients, examine them properly, and make good decisions. Why have the Premier and government rushed, used closure to ram Bill 26 down the throats of Albertans without consulting them first?
Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, Bill 26 is a fantastic piece of legislation that reflects what we need to do in this province. What we need to do is ensure that we’re having honest conversations about changing the culture around drinking and driving. Albertans from across the province have been in support of this legislation, and I’m really proud that this government introduced it and passed it this session.
The Speaker: The hon. leader.
Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with changing the culture, that Albertans should not drink and drive. Absolutely, Madam Premier.
Given that even her own government members criticize Bill 26 for giving law enforcement officers too much power, how can the Premier, a human rights lawyer, defend laws that assume guilt and dole out punishments before due process is afforded to Albertans?
Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, what we know is that under legislation we have the opportunity to set standards, and under those standards, which are completely consistent with the laws of this land, we are able to say to people that if you take actions, there will be consequences. What we know, whether we’re talking about this legislation or the earlier legislation this government passed with respect to civil forfeiture, is that the courts agree with us that those are the appropriate tests.
The Speaker: The hon. leader.
Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given that police officers are skilled, very skilled in the art of policing, why are you asking police officers to be judge and jury at the side of the road?
Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, this legislation is helpful to police in the same way that our civil forfeiture legislation was because it empowered the police to be able to deal with people that are breaking the rules and to have consequences as a result of that attached to those actions. I have full confidence in the ability of our police services across this province to do exactly what we will ask them to do under this legislation and to have those actions upheld by the court.
The Speaker: Second Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition.
Services for Seniors
Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my tour of Alberta over the past year many seniors have told me that they feel like their government is failing them. The cutting of public home care and long-term care is causing emergency rooms to overflow and is forcing senior couples, who have been married 50 years, who can’t afford private facilities, to face involuntary separation or abandonment in hospitals. The solution for the government is more privatization and to build more private buildings and, of course, nickel and dime our seniors to pay for it all. Will the Premier and the government listen to their own workforce, which is telling them to invest more in public home care and public long-term care and stop looking to private companies and corporations to solve Albertans’ problems?
Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, the solution to ensuring that seniors in Alberta can live a quality of life with dignity and respect is ensuring that we have enough appropriate spaces that are part of a publicly funded health care system to ensure that they can make life choices. That will mean – and we’ve been very clear about this – that there will be a variety of options open to Alberta seniors. Alberta’s seniors are going to be well cared for, they’re going to have access to public health care, and they’re going to be able to make choices and continue to make choices that will enhance the quality of their lives, their marriages, and their families.
The Speaker: The hon. leader.
Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That’s exactly what the previous Premier said before we failed the seniors.
Given that some of my constituents and Albertans using the special-needs assistance program for seniors and the Alberta seniors’ benefit program are worried about cuts and delays in funding, what is the Premier doing to ensure that when seniors are in need of help from their government, these programs are fully funded and quickly delivered?
Ms Redford: Well, Mr. Speaker, the first thing I’ll say is that we’re going to do exactly what we should do as the government and make sure that we call people that make unreasonable and unfounded statements to account. I think that’s exactly what the hon. Leader of the Opposition has just done. There is no suggestion that there are going to be cuts to those programs, and the idea that he would concern or get seniors upset about the fact that this could happen is entirely inappropriate and unfair.
Dr. Sherman: Mr. Speaker, the only thing unfounded is this government’s action.
My final question is to the Minister of Seniors. Given that I have a letter here from one of your constituents, who is a senior, who’s asking why he has to wait 12 to 16 weeks to get a paltry $200 out of the Alberta seniors’ benefit program, will you please look into this and look after the concern of your constituent before Christmas comes?
Mr. VanderBurg: Well, Mr. Speaker, I’m glad that the member brought up this issue, but the one thing that I will refuse to do is bring up personal issues of the people that I represent. The people I represent, whether they be seniors or vulnerable Albertans, deserve some privacy, and I can assure this member that this issue is already taken care of.
The Speaker: Third Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition.
Dr. Sherman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That was quick. I just talked to him yesterday.
Alberta Health Services Budget
Dr. Sherman: The former president and CEO of AHS and HQCA and even front-line health care workers all agree that despite all of the massive spending in health care, an increase of $2 billion, we are still dangerously underperforming, missing even the low targets that we have set for ourselves. My questions are to the Premier. When AHS was formed, there was a $1.3 billion deficit that Dr. Duckett inherited, and the previous Premier and health minister could not explain it. Can you please tell us where it came from?
Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, Alberta Health Services was the consolidation of a number of operations across the province. Those were operations that had reflected a number of different business models that had taken place in different health regions across the province, and the consolidation of that brought together both assets and liabilities. I don’t think it’s a complicated answer.
That’s it.
Dr. Sherman: Mr. Speaker, given that the budgets of all the health regions except the Calgary health region were balanced – we didn’t hire any extra nurses or open any extra beds, and we dumped in hundreds of millions of dollars – and there was a $1.3 billion deficit and given that the current Finance minister was then the health minister and it would be inappropriate for him to investigate himself, will the Premier please call an independent forensic financial audit of AHS and the former Capital health region to find out where that $1.3 billion deficit came from?
Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, there’s nothing to investigate. We live in a sophisticated world. We’re talking about budgets, but we’re also talking about assets and liabilities. We’re talking about major capital infrastructure. We’re talking about pensions that were on the books. We’re talking about a sophisticated business structure that merged. That’s why we ended up with what we did. We continued to provide public health care to Albertans. We continued to operate a budget that provided services. There’s no doubt that there was an issue there. It’s been a completely public and transparent issue. It was dealt with in accordance with normal business practices and appropriate business practices. There is no issue.
Dr. Sherman: Mr. Speaker, we do have sophisticated staff. The only thing that’s not sophisticated is the government.
Given that last week the hon. Member for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo asked the Premier to help the Wambolt family, who are faced with a $240,000 bill for life-saving brain surgery that is not done anywhere in Canada and given that this young man is in danger of losing his home because of the enormous health bill, will the Premier please help this family before Christmas?
The Speaker: The hon. minister.
Mr. Horne: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As with the response earlier by the hon. Minister of Seniors, I too am not prepared to get into an in-depth discussion in this House with respect to the very serious concerns of one individual. What I can tell you is that the individual named by the hon. Leader of the Official Opposition: we have been in touch with him. He is aware of the appeal processes that are available for out-of-country health care services, and he has been encouraged to avail himself of that full process.
Alberta Hansard, December 7, 2011