Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Paid farm workers in Alberta are exempt from occupational health and safety, mandatory Workers’ Compensation Board coverage, and the labour code. 

The government has been consulting on this matter for over a decade while 182 farm deaths and thousands of reported farm injuries have occurred. To the Premier: as a farmer why has your government in 2009 still not taken action to protect paid farm workers with the same rights as all other workers in Alberta?

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned a couple of times in the House over the last few weeks, the minister of agriculture and the Minister of Employment and Immigration are holding consultations with the agriculture community and other interested parties. Once the consultations are complete, then that information will come forward to government. We’ll accept whatever we hear from the people and then look at how we can change legislation if necessary.

Dr. Swann: When, Mr. Premier? When?

Given that a provincial court judge has recommended that all paid employees on farms should be covered by occupational health and safety, an act which would prevent some fatalities, when will the Premier make the necessary changes to include paid farm workers under the Occupational Health and Safety Act?

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I believe that the two ministers can inform the House of how the consultations are proceeding.

Dr. Swann: What does the Premier have to say to those injured farm workers and the families of those farm workers killed on the job, whose only option is to turn to costly lawsuits because this administration has failed to protect them and give them equal rights?

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, whenever there’s an accident – it doesn’t matter if it’s in a farmplace or a small business or large business – we take the issues very seriously. That is why we’re holding the consultations. We’ll bring forward the information to the House. We’ll have an opportunity to discuss it and hear from all sides on the issue and come up with a policy that’s going to serve Albertans well.

Physician Supply

Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A decision to freeze hiring for doctors is a scary prospect, especially at these times. What’s more concerning is that neither the minister nor the Premier seemed to be aware of the situation. The minister of health gave a response that was later refuted as incorrect by the spokesperson of the Health Services Board. The lack of communication or even understanding of what is happening by the members who are ultimately responsible for it casts doubt on their credibility in managing this health care transition. To the minister: will he clarify what is actually happening with the Health Services Board, and will there or will there not be a freeze?

Mr. Liepert: Well, Mr. Speaker, the reason the Premier and the minister of health refused to confirm the allegation made by the Leader of the Opposition is because it was not correct. Let me state for the record: there is no hiring freeze. I’ll repeat that: there is no hiring freeze. We need general practitioners, family doctors, in all parts of this province, and efforts are going to continue to ensure that we, wherever we can, fill those vacancies. What has happened is that a number of positions that are more specialist in research are being reviewed to ensure that they fit within our focus on research in this province, going forward.

Dr. Swann: Well, the truth is, Mr. Speaker, that the Health Services Board is now backing away from the hiring freeze due to complaints from the medical and academic communities. Can the minister explain who was consulted before the decision was made to release the memo advising of the freeze?

Mr. Liepert: Well, Mr. Speaker, I can only restate what I said in the first place: there is no hiring freeze. I can repeat it 10 times if it helps. There is no hiring freeze. There never has been a hiring freeze. What there is is a number of positions; a number of individuals internationally had been contacted for potential recruitment. In light of a new focus on medical research in this province we want to ensure that the right people, that fit within that medical research focus, are the ones that we actually recruit.

Dr. Swann: Well, Mr. Speaker, yesterday a spokesperson for the Health Services Board dismissed this memo on a freeze, sent last Wednesday, as no longer valid and, quote, old news. End of quote. It’s very concerning that changes are implemented in such a haphazard way, that memos are sent one day and then considered invalid the next. Why the flip-flop, Mr. Minister?

Mr. Liepert: Mr. Speaker, this particular Leader of the Opposition has stood here on several occasions during this session and talked about smarter spending in health care. Well, I would suggest that as we develop a research policy within Health, working with the Department of Advanced Education and Technology, smart spending would mean that we should be recruiting people that fit within that research strategy.

Alberta Hansard, April 28, 2009

[direct link to this article]