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Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 27th Legislature First Session Standing Committee on Health Wednesday, September 10, 2008 9:04 a.m. Transcript No. 27-1-3 Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 27th Legislature First Session Standing Committee on Health Horne, Fred, Edmonton-Rutherford (PC), Chair Pastoor, Bridget Brennan, Lethbridge-East (L), Deputy Chair Dallas, Cal, Red Deer-South (PC) Denis, Jonathan, Calgary-Egmont (PC) Fawcett, Kyle, Calgary-North Hill (PC) Notley, Rachel, Edmonton-Strathcona (NDP) Olson, Verlyn, QC, Wetaskiwin-Camrose (PC) Quest, Dave, Strathcona (PC) Sherman, Dr. Raj, Edmonton-Meadowlark (PC) Swann, Dr. David, Calgary-Mountain View (L) Vandermeer, Tony, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (PC) Bill 24 Sponsor Jablonski, Hon. Mary Anne, Red Deer-North (PC) Support Staff W.J. David McNeil Clerk Louise J. Kamuchik Clerk Assistant/Director of House Services Robert H. Reynolds, QC Senior Parliamentary Counsel Shannon Dean Senior Parliamentary Counsel Corinne Dacyshyn Committee Clerk Erin Norton Committee Clerk Jody Rempel Committee Clerk Karen Sawchuk Committee Clerk Rhonda Sorensen Manager of Communications Services Melanie Friesacher Communications Consultant Tracey Sales Communications Consultant Philip Massolin Committee Research Co-ordinator Stephanie LeBlanc Legal Research Officer Diana Staley Research Officer Rachel Stein Research Officer Liz Sim Managing Editor of Alberta Hansard Standing Committee on the Health Participants Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association Inc............................. HE-46 Jodi Skeates Dave McKee Gary Senft Alberta Medical Association. .............................................. HE-48 Lyle B. Mittelsteadt Royal Bank of Canada.................................................... HE-52 Suzanne Michaud Tom Grozinger Bennett Jones LLP....................................................... HE-56 Barbara Kimmitt Elder Advocates of Alberta Society.......................................... HE-59 Ruth Maria Adria Alberta Mental Health Patient Advocate Office................................. HE-63 Sandra Harrison Fred Hochachka......................................................... HE-68 Bea Renton............................................................. HE-70 September 10, 2008 Health HE-39 9:04 a.m. Wednesday, September 10, 2008 bulk of the meeting will be devoted to hearing presentations on Bill Title: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 HE 24 from individuals and organizations that responded to our [Mr. Horne in the chair] advertisement inviting submissions on the bill. We have until approximately 10:15 this morning to complete the business portion The Chair: Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this of the meeting, so I’ll just note in advance that we have a finite meeting of the Standing Committee on Health. I’d like to formally amount of time to get through business, including some business call the meeting to order and, of course, welcome all of you here. carried forward from the last meeting. Just a couple of notes to remind the committee members and the I’d like to begin, then, with approval of the agenda. Could I have presenters who are here today, please, not to touch the microphones a motion to approve the agenda, please? Mr. Olson. Any discus- as they are operated remotely by Hansard staff, and please don’t sion? Those in favour? Any opposed? The motion is carried. leave your BlackBerry on the table and turned on as it does interfere Thank you very much. with the audio equipment. We’ll be using video conferencing as Item 3, adoption of the minutes for the meeting of July 9, 2008. well today, so it’s particularly important that we try to minimize any May I have a motion, please, to accept the minutes? Mr. Dallas. electronic interference. This meeting is being streamed live on the Any discussion? Internet as you may be aware. Before we get into the agenda, I’d just like to give the committee Mr. Olson: I’m sure I was at that meeting, but I don’t see my name members and staff seated at the table the opportunity to introduce listed. I haven’t had a chance to go back and double-check my themselves, beginning with the deputy chair, please. calendar to see, but I just wanted to note that and ask if maybe somebody could check to see whether I was there, I guess. Ms Pastoor: Bridget Pastoor, Lethbridge-East. The Chair: I believe you were here. Any other changes? Then Mr. Quest: Dave Quest, MLA, Strathcona. assuming Mr. Olsen was here, can I call for a vote, please? Those in favour of approving the minutes with that correction? Those Mr. Vandermeer: Tony Vandermeer, MLA for Edmonton-Beverly- opposed? The motion is carried. Thank you. Clareview. Item 4 is Old Business. As you’ll recall, at our meeting on July 9 the committee did not have an opportunity to deal with an issue Mr. Dallas: Cal Dallas, Red Deer-South. that Ms Notley asked to raise under Other Business. I just wanted to thank you, Ms Notley, for providing your motion in advance of Mr. Olson: Good morning. Verlyn Olson, MLA for Wetaskiwin- this meeting and invite you to make your motion. Camrose. Ms Notley: Thank you very much. As well, I appreciate the fact Dr. Sherman: Raj Sherman, Edmonton-Meadowlark. that we were able to get a clear time when the motion would be addressed in the meeting, so thank you to the chair for that. I’m Ms Dean: Good morning. Shannon Dean, Senior Parliamentary assuming I can review the motion and speak to it. Counsel. The Chair: Yes. If you care to move the motion and then go on. Ms LeBlanc: Stephanie LeBlanc, legal research officer, Legislative Assembly Office. Ms Notley: Okay. The motion as it appears, actually, in the agenda is simply that Dr. Massolin: Good morning. I’m Philip Massolin. I’m the the Standing Committee on Health inquire into the recently committee research co-ordinator, Legislative Assembly Office. announced . Not quite as recent now but nonetheless. Ms Friesacher: Good morning. I’m Melanie Friesacher, communi- . departure of several senior public health officials from Alberta Health and Wellness and that the committee schedule a meeting cations consultant with the Legislative Assembly Office. during which these officials – Dr. Ameeta Singh, Dr. Karen Grimsrud, and Dr. Gloria Keays – the [then] Deputy Minister of Mrs. Kamuchik: Good morning, all. Louise Kamuchik, Clerk Health and Wellness, Ms Paddy Meade; and the Minister of Health Assistant, director of House services. and Wellness, Hon. Ron Liepert, be requested to appear to answer questions [from the committee] regarding the matter. Ms Notley: Good morning. Rachel Notley, MLA, Edmonton- Strathcona. The Chair: Just a notation that we don’t require seconders for motions in committee. With that, I’d invite you to speak to the Dr. Swann: Good morning, all. David Swann, Calgary-Mountain motion first, if you like. View. Ms Notley: Thank you. The reasons around which I would urge the Mr. Denis: Jonathan Denis, Calgary-Egmont. committee to consider adopting this motion can be broken into what I’ve characterized as sort of four general areas. The first one relates, Mr. Fawcett: Kyle Fawcett, Calgary-North Hill. of course, to the mandate of this committee. As you know, this committee has a very broad mandate to inquire into a number of Mrs. Sawchuk: Karen Sawchuk, committee clerk. different matters, including those relating to Health and Wellness. In particular, section 52.07(2) of the standing orders setting up the The Chair: I’m Fred Horne, MLA, Edmonton-Rutherford and chair committee states that of the committee. a Policy Field Committee may on its own initiative, or at the request As you know, we’ve got a very full agenda before us today. The of a Minister, inquire into any matter concerned with the structure, HE-40 Health September 10, 2008 organization, operation, efficiency or service delivery of any sector Of course, as I’m sure all members of this committee know as of public policy within its mandate. well, subsequent to this motion’s first being put forward, there were the concerns raised around the syphilis crisis and the rate of syphilis I would suggest, then, that the kind of inquiry that I’m recommend- in Alberta. It’s known that one of the departed doctors was a huge ing falls squarely within the authority of this committee. advocate for a strong, well-funded prevention program around 9:10 syphilis. Certainly, it’s come to our attention that that may have been one of the issues which led to her departure. Subsequently we Then the question becomes: why would we want to do this? Why see the numbers showing that there’s a problem there. That’s why is this particular matter being brought forward? I would suggest that I believe that there is a crisis. the first element of that argument relates to what I would character- Now, why is it that I think that we should be looking into it? ize as the urgency of the matter in the area of public health. As you Well, as I say, we are a committee with a mandate. I think there’s know, on June 11 it was announced, or at least it appeared in the a point at which we need to consider how not doing our job would papers, that three top public health officials in Alberta unexpectedly reflect on how seriously we are taking this process. As members of resigned from Alberta Health and Wellness. That was in addition to the committee, as we’ve all talked about in different settings, we one other senior public health official, who had left several months have an obligation not just to our party and our caucus but to the earlier. At that time most experts in the field identified their absence people who elected us. There is an issue. We sit on a committee and their departure as a reason for there to be extreme concern in the that’s been told that it has a job and a responsibility, so we need to area of public health.

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