91社区破解版

Revised - It was a mixed bag for Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee Monday at the legislature.

The most significant event was the passing of historic Bill 38, the Health Authority Act, at approximately 2:42 p.m.

As expected, the Liberals and the NDP voted in favour of the act, with only the Yukon Party MLAs against it. In the end, the bill became law by a 10-8 vote.

鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty unbelievable, to be honest,鈥� McPhee told reporters later.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 say this in the House (Monday) because I probably would have started to cry, but when I stand in front, I鈥檓 the point person. My job is to bring the bill and to debate it.

鈥淚 am acutely aware of the hundreds of people that stand behind me that brought this to fruition, that brought this piece of paper to say we want health care to be different for Yukoners, and we think it needs to look like this, and we鈥檝e brought this together as a group,鈥� McPhee said.

鈥淎nd we have listened to Yukoners through Putting People First, and we have said that this is the first step on that journey.

鈥淎nd it鈥檚 my responsibility and my honour and my job to stand there and to debate that and to defend it and to answer every question there is about it and I鈥檓 proud to do that,鈥� the minister added.

Not surprisingly, Opposition Leader Currie Dixon had a very different take on the proceedings.

鈥淔or the next one to three years, there鈥檚 a lot of work to be done by the Department of Health and Social Services, by the minister, and I expressed my lack of confidence in the minister to do that work effectively,鈥� Dixon said.

鈥淚 think it comes as no surprise that we have grave concerns about the conduct of the minister over the past number of years. This is the same minister who faced a motion calling for her resignation that passed the legislative assembly just a few years ago.

鈥淲e have seen health care become one of the central challenges and biggest crises in the territory over the past year and a half or so. And to say that I don鈥檛 have confidence in the minister is probably an understatement.鈥�

McPhee was asked about Dixon鈥檚 assertion that he has no faith in her ability to carry the act through.

鈥淔or some reason the Yukon Party, and this is not new, is focused on me. I鈥檓 focused on making sure that health care is approved for Yukoners,鈥� she replied.

NDP Leader Kate White also weighed in on the passing of the bill.

鈥淭he way the Yukon political system or the Westminster system is set up is to be confrontational between government and opposition parties, but I fundamentally believe it doesn鈥檛 have to be that way,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 love anybody 100 per cent of the time, but working together for the common good of Yukoners has always got to be our priority. And that鈥檚 what you saw the Yukon NDP do during the working of the Health Authority Act,鈥� White said.

鈥淲e flagged our concerns early on that there hadn鈥檛 been enough information for employees. The minister and her officials then organized more than 20 meetings over a month span, which is incredible.鈥�

The francophone community鈥檚 concerns were also addressed, she said.

Then the unions of the affected employees had to buy in on the deal.

鈥淭hat started a really, I would say, intense back-and-forth towards that memorandum of understanding that was signed (with the unions) last week,鈥� recalled White.

鈥淚 think what we just saw in the passing in the mechanisms of how that went, was probably not as smooth as the Liberals had hoped for.

鈥淏ut there are rules that we all understand, and they made a decision and it didn鈥檛 work well for them, but the division was still called and the NDP, we look forward to doing the work that we need to do to make the health authority successful.鈥�

White was asked about Dixon鈥檚 comments that he has no faith in McPhee to put the act into effect.

鈥淚 disagree 鈥� it鈥檚 gonna really involve a lot of different players coming together to try to figure out that path forward,鈥� White replied.

McPhee reacts to online survey by the Yukon Medical Association

McPhee was questioned about the Yukon Medical Association鈥檚 online survey that stated that 41 per cent of Yukon doctors are planning on closing their practices within five years (see Monday鈥檚 Star).

鈥淣ot something that is a surprise,鈥� the minister said.

鈥淔irst of all, (I) have been meeting with doctors in smaller groups and in larger groups since I became minister, building on a relationship with the Yukon Medical Association.

鈥淚 was pleased that when we first knew that the survey was done, that Alex Kmet, the president of the YMA, committed to our working together going forward,鈥� McPhee said.

鈥淧art of what the survey concentrates on is the idea of wrap-around services and clinics where there are teams of individuals providing medical care. This is something that is not only contemplated in Putting People First, it is what we hope to achieve ultimately through the health authority.鈥�

Dixon raised his concerns about the section of the survey that stated only seven per cent of the survey鈥檚 respondents feel the government supports and values physicians鈥� contributions to the health care system.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a perilously low number,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he fact that the vast majority of Yukon doctors don鈥檛 feel that the current government supports them or appreciates them is a huge problem.

鈥淎nd so you start to see a pattern emerge of of health care workers feeling like this government doesn鈥檛 support them,鈥� Dixon said.

Yukon Party taken to task for MLA鈥檚 emails to YG employees

McPhee was also asked about emails from Yukon Party MLA Yvonne Clarke sent to government employees regarding the authority鈥檚 creation (see Monday鈥檚 Star).

Premier Ranj Pillai, in an April 9 letter to Dixon, said that he had multiple concerns including:

鈥� 鈥淚 am concerned that members of your caucus are using employee e-mail addresses of Yukon government employees, for partisan purposes;

鈥� 鈥淚 am concerned that members of your caucus are distracting Yukon government employees while they are at work;

鈥� 鈥淚 am concerned that these e-mail addresses may have been acquired through her former employment.鈥�

McPhee replied, 鈥淚 know that we had complaints at the (HSS) department from employees who have received an email. I think it went to their work email address as far as I understand, and that they were concerned about receiving something that was of a political nature while they were at work, and they should be free from that.鈥�

Dixon, however, defended Clarke鈥檚 actions regarding the emails.

鈥淪he had sent an email to a number of folks that were her constituents or members of the Filipino community making them aware of the bill that was before the legislative assembly, and asking if they had any questions and pointing them to their union if they had any specific questions about things related to union members. I think that鈥檚 just the course of an MLA doing good work,鈥� said Dixon, who answered Pillai鈥檚 letter on Monday.

鈥淔or the premier to allege that she obtained the emails in some sort of inappropriate manner is completely false. I mean, every government employee鈥檚 email is available on Google right now.鈥�