Standing up Ljfje~Ck

CAE,

LIB5

2003877

Standing up

for People

The PlatforlTI of the New Brunswicl< Liberal Party

for the 2003

Provincial General Election

Ljfje~ C k

Nouveau- Brunswick

Standing up for People

The Platform of the New BrunswickLiberalParty for the 2003 ProvincialGeneral Election

A Strong LiberalTeam A Message from the Leader
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Standing up for Public Health Care

Standing up for Access to Health Care Standing up for Access to Prescription Drug Therapy Standing up for Those with Chronic Conditions Standing up for Reasonable Power Rates Standing up for Affordable Insurance Standing up for Seniors

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Standing up for Pay Equity Standing up for Children and Youth Standing up for Affordable Housing

Standing up for Opportunities

Standing up for People With Disabilities Standing up for Workers Standing up for Volunteers

Building New Brunswick

Building our Future

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Building our Classrooms

Building Healthy Lives

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Building OUI' Schools

Building our Workforce Building our Economy
Building NB Power Building our Roads Building Northeast New Brunswick Building our Businesses Building our Cornerstone Industries

Building Agriculture

Bui1ding our IOisheries

Building Aquaculture Building our Mining lndustly Building our Forestly Industly
Building Tourism
Building on our Heritage Building our Communities Building our Environment Building our Health Care Infrastructure

A Strong Liberal Team

Standing up for Public Health Care:

The L i b e ral T eam stands for public health care for all Nev Brunswickers.

Standing up for Access To Health Care:

The L i b e r al T e a m will create an O jfi c e Q / l fea ltb C a r e R e t e ntion and R ec r uitment

in order to build our health care team.

Standing up for Seniors:

The L i b e r al T ea m will increase access to prescription drug therapy for seniors.

Standing up for Affordable Insurance:

The L i b e r al Team will reduce auto insurance premiums.

Building NB Power:

The L i b e ral T e a m will keep NB Power public in order to ensure reliable

electricity at affordable prices.

Building our Future:

The L i b e r a l T eam will introduce new E arl y C bildb oo d C e ntr es

around the province.

Building our Classrooms:

The L i b e ral T eam will put more teachers in the classroom and bring

down class size.

Building our Workforce:

The L ibe r al Team will improve access to post-second,"y education and

offer incentives to keep our graduates living and \varking in dle province.

Building our Businesses:

The L i b e r a l ' l e am will help small- and medium-sized businesses access

the capital they need to grow.

Building our Cornerstone Industries:

The L ibe r a l T eam will invest in developing our resource industries.

Building our Roads:

The L i b e r a l T eam will build roads and restore road budgets.

Building Tourism:

The L i b e r al ' l eam will invest in accommodations infrastructure and interpretive

tourism experiences.

A Message from the Leader

We have an incredible oppoltunity to improve the lives of

New I3runswickers, but it can only happen if the governmell['s

first priority is S ' lrmdin g u p f o /' P eopl e .

This means guaranteeing that New Brul1swickers who need a family doctor have access to a family doctor. It means ensuring that our seniors aren't forced to make a choice between prescription drugs and the power bill. It means standing up to insurance companies that are tlying to bully New I3runswickers.

And it means standing up for those - our children, our elderly -

who are the most vulnerable. If we are going to stand up for people then we must build a foundation on which to stand. We need to

Build N ew I 3 l ' llJ1 s w ick.

We need to build better roads. We need to provide businesses Ivith the tools they need to grow. \X1eneed to keep NI3 Power in the hands of New Brunswickers. And we need 10 make sure that the education our young people get loday will help them find a Job tomorrow.

While S 'l a n d i n g u p fo /' P e o p l e includes some specific goals

and targets, you won't find anything like Bernard Lord's "200 Days of Change" checklist. That's because we believe good governmell[ should aim beyond the first 200 days. We need to look at "]600 Days of Progress" and beyond.

[ believe in S t a ndin g u p fo / ' P eo p l e as pan of a S ' ll' O n g L ib e m l T e a m .

Take a moment to learn more about our team members

and why we are committed to S tan d in g u p fo / ' P eo jJl e . If you believe that government should be S ' l rtJ I d in g u p/o / ' P eop l e : if you wall[ to B u ild N el l ' B /' u n s l I i ck , 1 would invite you 10 support our L ib e m ! Team in the coming election.

Shawn Graham Leader of tile Liberal Pany of New Brunswick

There are 32,000 New Brunswickers without family doctor. a

W e ha ve a n i n cr e di bl e o pp or t un it y

t o i m pr o v e th e l i ves o j th o u san d s oj N ew B r u n swic k e r s , b u t i t can o nl y

h a pp en if th e g o v e rn m en t ' s fir s t p rior i t y

is Standing up for People.

Wailing lists for cel1ain surgeries have doubled

since the Conselvative government took power. There are 200 less nurses working in our health care system.

tt ' s ti m e t o s t a nd up /0 1 ' a ccess t o h e a lth c a r e. We n ee d a r ec r u itm e n t s t r a t eg y that Il '0 rk s. A lld Ice l Ie e d a cce s s t o h e a l t h c a r e / o r N e ll i B r t l1l s 1 1 ' i ck e r s24 h ou l' S a d a y . 7 d a) ' s a I l ' e ek.

''As a nurse and a hea l th care recruiter, J understand the challenges w e face in bui l ding our health care team.

Bernard Lord has speculated about privatizing

some health care services. If we are to ensure access to health care for all New Brunswickers

regardless of income, age or language, we need

to keep our health care system in the hands of the people.

1. Create an O fl i ce o/ H eal lhc a r e R e c r u itm e l lt al l d

I ? e t e n tio ll , reponing directly to the Premier

and responsible for: a. The creation and implementation of short-term. medium-term and long-term provincial recruitment strategies for recruitment and retention of:

Retention Strategy puts in place real incentives that will help us bring more doctors , nurses and health care professionals to

A Liberal government will nor allow further

privatization of our health care system.

i . Doctors

It ' s time t o s tand up /o r p u b l i c h ea lth ca r e .

ii . Nurses i i i. Nurse Practitioners

il l . Pharmacists

"

New Brunswick .

I). lkhabilitation

Professionals

/ I i. Other Health Care Professionals who

are predicted to be in shon supply in

the neJo.110 years.

1. Defend and uphold the five principles

of the C a n a d a H e a lth A ct to ensure that

1 ew Brunswick's health care system is:

Joan Kingston, RN,

Liberal Cancliclate

ew Maryland

b. Recruitment missions to medical schools.

led by the Premier and including represen-

tatives of dle Regional Health Authoritites

and the O ffi ce 0/H ea lt h C a r e I ? ec r u i t m e n t c m d R e t e n t i o n

a. Accessible

b. Universal c. Publicly administered d. Comprehensive e. Portable.

c. Collaboration with Health Authorities to

develop recruitment strategies based on regional priorities.

2. Advocate for "Accountability" to become

the sL'{th principle of the C a n ada He a lt h A c t.

3. Immediately address the recommendations of the Romanow Commission Report.
2. Establish a dedicated fund for Health
Authorities to access funds, based on

submission of a regional recruitment and

retention plan approved by the Office of Ilealth Care Recruitment and Retention.

4. Establish a H ea lth C a r e A dl J o c a t e to aid

citizens when issues need to be addressed,

when information cannot be easily accessed, or when citizens feel they are not receiving appropriate information or treatment.

3. Introduce a P h ys i c ian Re c ruitm e n t B e n f ! f it s

Pl a n that would include:

5. Encourage Regional Health Authorities to

establish ongoing local health care forums

in dleir regions. a.lncentives For General Practitioners in

under-serviced areas

b. Establishment of L o cum C o n tr a ct s to ensure

that family physicians get needed time off,

and to recruit new and expatriated family

physicians using the positive experience of ! ew Brunswick's lifestyle and practice environments

Standing up for Access to Health Care

For a New Bruns,Yick mother without a family

doctor. a child's ear ache can mean hours in the

local emergency room. For a senior awaiting hip

surgelY, operating room closures bring more

weeks of living in pain.

c. Information technology support to assist

physicians in their practice environments

as a step in the development of a single electronic patient record

d.A D e b t A ssis ta n c e P l a n for recent medical

school graduates

Nurses who are stretched to the limit say they

can't give the quality of care that is needed.

e. Increased oppoInmities for alternate methods of remuneration for physicians

12.Establish a C o m m l lnil y H ea lth C e nlr e (CHC)

in each of the Regional Health Authorities. Each Health Authority \vill be asked to sub-

mit proposals for the approval of additional

CHCs during 2004/2005. Based on these proposals, dedicated funding for eight additional CHCs will be provided for the fiscal year

2005-2006

f. Increased opportunities for physicians to

palticipate in clinical research in their

communities g. Parental leave for physicians.
4. Provide resources to the College of

Physicians and Surgeons to facilitate thc recruitment and integration of physicians from other jurisdictions. l}Access new federal money to enhance dle
Extramural Programs in each Regional Health Authority.

5. Pmvide financial incentivcs to facilitate recruitment.
14.Improve ambulance scrvice by providing: a. Increased training rcquirements for ne\v staff

6. Establish a N ell ' I 3 r U 11sl I l / c k H e alth C ar e

Bl ir st ll J ' P r og r a m available to students

entering their last two years of study in

one of the professions identified as experi-

encing a shonage, when those students agree to work in the province after graduation. b.Funher integration of ambulance service

personnel into the healdl care system

c. A single centralized dispatch for land and
-air ambulance

d.Integration and enhancement of first-

responder services

7. Create an income tax credit for recent gradu-

ates in those health care professions that are experiencing a shOitage. if the graduates

remain in. or return to, New Brunswick. e. Introduction of a common dispatch centre to promote a more integrated approach to the dispatch of all public safety services.
8. Increase the number of Ne w Brunswickers

] 5.Develop a I ) 'ewel A ss i s l a n c e P r og r a m to

increase access for New Brunswickers who must travel to receive services. practicing medicine in Ncw Brunswick by: a. Funding 15 ne\v medical school seats-

10 francophonc and 5 anglophonc panncr uni\'crsities
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in
16.Establish multi-year funding plans based

on budgets submitted to dle Depanment of Health and Wellness by Regional Health Authorities.

b.lmplementing

an integrated support system

to recruit medical professionals, beginning in high school and continuing through university, medical school, and residency programs.

9. Increase available nursing resources by:

Standing up for Access to Prescription Drug Therapy

a. Creating 375 new full-time nursing

positions to accelerate the conversion

of casual nursing hours in the Regional

Health Authorities

Thousands of seniors and low-income earners

in New Brunswick live day-in and day-out with

uncertainly and anxiety because they cannot afford their !xescriptions. The Conservative b.lmplementing

a phased-in retirement pro-

government

promised a review of the gram for nurses. allowing them to continue

to \vork within the health care system without negatively affecting pension benefits
Prescription Drug Program but never delivered. When you rely on medication to improve your quality of life - when an expensive pill is all that stands between you and debilitating pain

this is an uncertainty that you cannot afford.

c. I~emoving barriers tha t prevent reti red nurses from working in the system.

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" T hrough my medical practice} J h ave seen a number oj

10.Provide dedicated funding to the Faculty of Nursing at both UNB and U de M in order to establish:

There needs to be a better way.

New Brunswickers struggling with the rising cos t o j p rescription drugs. Th e L iberal Plan will help increase access to these i m portant medications. },

/I ' s time t o s tand up . fo r imp r o v ed a ccess 1 0 pr esc r ipt ion d r ug Ih e r ajJ ) ' .

a. Full-lime I urse Practitioner Programs

b.38 new seats for basic nursing students in

New Bruns\vick

1. Improve access to cIr-ugtherapy by:

c. A program to recognize and compensate nurses who act as formal mentors to nursing students in clinical settings. a.1nitiating a review of the Prescription

Drug Program

b. Raising the ceiling on income eligibility for senior citizens benefiting from the Prescription Drug Program

Dr. Larry Kennedy

Liberal Candidate

Vicroria-Tobique
11.Creale 24 'urse Practitioner positions imme diately. The Health Authorities will be asked to submit proposals for an additional 24 f\ursc Practitioners for approval in 2004/2005.

c. Implementing a yearly automatic cost-of-

living adjustment

1. Maintain NI3 Power as a fully publicly owned