Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 30th Legislature Second Session Select Special Public Health Act Review Committee Wednesday, September 30, 2020 12 p.m. Transcript No. 30-2-7 Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 30th Legislature Second Session Select Special Public Health Act Review Committee Milliken, Nicholas, Calgary-Currie (UCP), Chair Rosin, Miranda D., Banff-Kananaskis (UCP), Deputy Chair Dang, Thomas, Edmonton-South (NDP)* Ganley, Kathleen T., Calgary-Mountain View (NDP) Gray, Christina, Edmonton-Mill Woods (NDP) Hoffman, Sarah, Edmonton-Glenora (NDP) Long, Martin M., West Yellowhead (UCP) Lovely, Jacqueline, Camrose (UCP) Neudorf, Nathan T., Lethbridge-East (UCP) Reid, Roger W., Livingstone-Macleod (UCP) Rowswell, Garth, Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright (UCP) Shepherd, David, Edmonton-City Centre (NDP) Turton, Searle, Spruce Grove-Stony Plain (UCP) * substitution for Christina Gray Support Staff Shannon Dean, QC Clerk Stephanie LeBlanc Clerk Assistant and Senior Parliamentary Counsel Teri Cherkewich Law Clerk Vani Govindarajan Legal Counsel Trafton Koenig Parliamentary Counsel Philip Massolin Clerk of Committees and Research Services Sarah Amato Research Officer Nancy Robert Research Officer Michael Kulicki Committee Clerk Jody Rempel Committee Clerk Aaron Roth Committee Clerk Rhonda Sorensen Manager of Corporate Communications Jeanette Dotimas Communications Consultant Tracey Sales Communications Consultant Janet Schwegel Director of Parliamentary Programs Amanda LeBlanc Deputy Editor of Alberta Hansard Transcript produced by Alberta Hansard Select Special Public Health Act Review Committee Participants Ministry of Health Trish Merrithew-Mercredi, Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Health and Compliance Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health Dean Blue, Senior Policy Adviser September 30, 2020 Public Health Act Review PHR-143 12 p.m. Wednesday, September 30, 2020 Please note that microphones are of course operated by Hansard, Title: Wednesday, September 30, 2020 phr so there’s no need to manually deal with them, whether it’s by [Mr. Milliken in the chair] turning them on and off or anything like that. It’ll be taken care of for you. Of course, committee proceedings are being live streamed The Chair: Good afternoon, everyone. I’d like to call this meeting on the Internet and broadcast on Alberta Assembly TV. If you to order. Welcome to members and staff in attendance for this would – and I will do the same – please ensure that your cellphones meeting of the Select Special Public Health Act Review and any devices that you may have with you are placed on silent for Committee. the duration of the meeting. My name is Nicholas Milliken. I’m the MLA for Calgary-Currie Moving on to our agenda, the first item of business is approval of and the chair of this committee. I’m going to ask that members and the agenda. Does anyone have any changes that they would like to those joining the committee at the table please introduce themselves make? for the record. For that, I will start on my right. If not, would a member please move a motion to approve the agenda? I see Member Rowswell has moved that the agenda for the Ms Rosin: Miranda Rosin, MLA for Banff-Kananaskis and deputy September 30, 2020, meeting of the Select Special Public Health chair. Act Review Committee be adopted as distributed. Mr. Rowswell: Garth Rowswell, Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wain- Moving on to deliberations and recommendations, item 3, today, wright. as we move, of course, on to our second day of deliberations on the Public Health Act, I would like to remind members again that we Mr. Turton: Good afternoon, everyone. Searle Turton, MLA for are considering the recommendations for inclusion in our report to Spruce Grove-Stony Plain. the Assembly. We still have several motions on notice in this regard, so I would ask everyone to remain focused and, of course, Ms Lovely: Jackie Lovely, Camrose constituency. work together, as we did previously, yesterday, to ensure we can have an afternoon of respectful and meaningful discussions. Mr. Reid: Roger Reid, Livingstone-Macleod. With that, we will return to the motion that was on the floor when Mr. Neudorf: Nathan Neudorf, Lethbridge-East. we adjourned yesterday. I believe that prior to adjournment it was Mr. Shepherd who was speaking at the time and was speaking on Mr. Long: Martin Long, West Yellowhead. Motion 40, that was moved by Ms Ganley. Mr. Shepherd, of course, you’ll remember that yesterday I Mr. Blue: Good afternoon. I’m Dean Blue, senior public health hesitated to interrupt you because of the time – we were adviser to the chief medical officer of health, with Alberta Health. approaching 6 o’clock – so what I will do is that I will offer you the floor first should you choose to take it. Ms Merrithew-Mercredi: Good afternoon. My name is Trish Merrithew-Mercredi, and I’m the assistant deputy minister, public Mr. Shepherd: Thank you, Mr. Chair. To be honest, at this time I health and compliance. don’t believe I have any further comments on the motion. Ms Hoffman: Sarah Hoffman, Edmonton-Glenora. The Chair: Okay. Yeah. Absolutely. Are there any other members wishing to – I see Member Ganley. Mr. Shepherd: David Shepherd, Edmonton-City Centre. Ms Ganley: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I’ll try to keep my Mr. Dang: Thomas Dang, Edmonton-South. comments brief as I think we’ve canvassed this in depth, but I think Ms Ganley: Kathleen Ganley, Calgary-Mountain View. it’s worth sort of bringing it back up again today. I would, if you’ll indulge me for a moment, just like to take a moment to acknow- Ms Govindarajan: Vani Govindarajan from the office of Parlia- ledge that today is Orange Shirt Day and that that is meaningful to mentary Counsel. a number of us. I see a number of different orange shirts around the table, and I think it’s worth acknowledging that legacy of residential Ms Robert: Good afternoon. Nancy Robert, research officer with school survivors. Thank you very much. the Legislative Assembly Office. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to this one more time. I’ve reflected on the debate yesterday, and I think I just have a few Dr. Massolin: Good afternoon. Philip Massolin, clerk of com- additional comments. I think it’s worth noting that on Monday the mittees and research services. world celebrated International Safe Abortion Day, so that makes this quite timely. For emphasis, I think it’s worth repeating that Ms Rempel: Good afternoon. Jody Rempel, committee clerk. access to safe abortion services is a fundamental right, and access The Chair: Thank you very much. to this fundamental right improves health outcomes, which is, I It’s my understanding that we don’t have anybody on the line, think, the point of this act. We know that this is a critical issue for and I should just make mention that Mr. Dang is substituting for Ms population health. It’s true here in Alberta, Canada, and around the Gray. globe. Pursuant to the August 24, 2020, memo by the hon. Speaker During the pandemic access to safe abortion services was deemed Cooper I would remind everyone that outside of those who have an so essential to overall population health outcomes that the World exemption, those observing the proceedings of the Assembly or its Health Organization issued a global alert to all governments to make committees are required to wear face coverings. Based on the it a priority. As Dr. Jeanne Conry, president of the International recommendations from the chief medical officer of health regarding Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, put it, and I quote: abortion physical distancing, attendees at today’s meeting are reminded to access is critical; women need access, or we will see more maternal leave the appropriate distance between themselves and other mortality. That is the professional and scientific view of saying that meeting participants. more women will die. Let me repeat this. I think it’s a critical issue. PHR-144 Public Health Act Review September 30, 2020 There were a couple of things, I think, that came up yesterday stated, which is what I was hoping for clarity on, that she and her about whether this was the correct place for this to be, so I think it’s constituents are opposed to abortion, which in today’s day and age worth saying that the science and the evidence on whether this I find shocking. I know that there are many people who are, but I improves overall health outcomes are pretty conclusive. I don’t regularly reflect on the fact that this is a necessary procedure. think it’s up for debate. The Constitution, which governs the laws As the courts have determined, this is something that is legal in of this land, assigns provision of medical services to the province, Canada, and this is something that is, as my colleague argued, such so it is squarely within the domain of Alberta to legislate on this a foundation of population/public health in making sure that matter. I think that we’ve seen a number of people come forward in women’s maternal health and all reproductive health are something their testimony here and ask us to broaden this act. I know that that is universally accessible. That is a big part that determines, has certainly some have commented on why this isn’t a broader motion, direct connections between being able to access reproductive health and I think I would refer us back to the motion that was brought services and many other socioeconomic factors as well as social forward yesterday, which was a broader motion, which was a factors in general. Making sure that we are moving forward on motion to ensure that the act recognizes access to universal public providing good public health – and I know that has been mentioned health care as a determinant of health.