Federal money is on the table. Why not provide free birth control for Nova Scotians?

SUSAN LEBLANC « » : Manitoba has made history as the first province to sign the federal pharmacare agreement. Manitoba will now get $219 million over the next four years to cover medications like birth control. Providing free birth control would save Nova Scotians money. It would help address the gender-based violence epidemic. We have reminded this government about this opportunity countless times but we have yet to see any action. Why is Nova Scotia dragging its feet on signing this deal and giving Nova Scotians access to the medications they need?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON « » : Again, I'll answer the question that we are in active negotiations with the federal government regarding the deal. We need to make sure that this is a financially sustainable approach. We appreciate the opportunity that is before us, but we also have economic realities here that we need to ensure that if that money sunsets - and we expect that after three to five years it will - that we are going to have the capacity to continue to provide the same amount of coverage. In order to do that, we need to look at how we look at the natural resources in this province, how we generate economic development, how we do all of these things; but the Opposition have had nothing good to say about it since we started. I am very committed to looking at this deal and negotiating, but we need to look at the economic opportunities in this province.

SUSAN LEBLANC « » : I know the minister knows this, but reproductive health is an economic opportunity for Nova Scotians. It's all connected. Manitoba didn't wait for the federal money to come in. The province started covering birth control in the Fall because it knew it was the right thing to do, and it was economically sound. We are telling the government that there is money for them on the table right now and every day they delay, Nova Scotians are forced to spend more of their own money to cover this medication. My question is: Will the government ensure that Nova Scotians will have access to the medications they need?

MICHELLE THOMPSON « » : Again, there are a number of ways that people can access birth control through this province. We've talked about them before. Certainly if there is a financial barrier, through the Department of Opportunities and Social Development people have access to birth control. We have the Nova Scotia Family Pharmacare Program. Some people have private insurance - all these different ways to support people who require birth control. We are actively negotiating with the federal government. We cannot rush this negotiation. We cannot get a bad deal for Nova Scotians. We've seen that in the past with other deals when they've been rushed. We need to take our time. We need to ensure that we're doing the right things, that there is economic stability moving forward when and if that money sunsets, which we expect it will.

Free access to birth control would reduce reproductive coercion

SUSAN LEBLANC « » : The Transition House Association of Nova Scotia recently released a research brief, Reproductive Coercion and Intimate Partner Violence, and I'll table it. This is a form of gender-based violence that involves controlling another person's reproductive rights. The document recommends implementing access to universal, no-cost coverage of prescription contraception. Knowing that having free access to birth control can reduce reproductive coercion in this province, why does this government refuse to provide free birth control to its citizens?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON « » : We currently have programs that are available to people who are seeking birth control. We have our Family Pharmacare Program, people who also have private insurance. There are also some individuals who require additional support and through the Department of Opportunities and Social Development there are opportunities for people to access birth control. We know it's an important issue. We'll continue to work throughout government to best understand how to serve Nova Scotians.

SUSAN LEBLANC « » : All of those things are true but there are lots of people who are still falling through the cracks. That is why there is a massive call across the province and across the country for barrier-free, complete access to free birth control, so that the people who don't have those opportunities are able to access birth control. There's federal funding on the table right now to provide free birth control for all Nova Scotians. This is an important and simple step for us to take to help reduce the impacts of reproductive coercion in this country. We have yet to hear a good reason as to why the government has not taken this step. I'll ask again: Why won't this government work with the feds to provide Nova Scotians with free birth control to help address the epidemic of gender-based violence?

MICHELLE THOMPSON « » : We really are currently in negotiations with the federal government. The two departments are speaking about how best to serve Nova Scotians, what the negotiations may look like. It's not a straightforward negotiation. We have to make sure that it is a program that is sustainable when the money sunsets. It's great to get the money upfront, but eventually that money will go away. We need to make sure that we make the appropriate choices. We need to make sure that it's financially sustainable moving forward when the money sunsets. We continue to be in active negotiations. I'm very hopeful that we'll have more information soon.

Address the root causes of gender-based violence

SUSAN LEBLANC: New Leaf is a program that addresses the root causes of gender-based violence. It provides group counselling and support for abusive men who want to stop hurting their loved ones. When we talk about gender-based violence prevention, these are the programs we need, but New Leaf is struggling to keep up with demand, and they need more funding to provide this vital service - and I can table an article about that. When will this government commit to providing stable core funding for groups like New Leaf to prevent gender-based violence?

HON. SCOTT ARMSTRONG: We know that any incident of intimate partner violence is one too many, and across government we are investing and making great strides in supporting groups across this province to intervene before incidents happen. New Leaf is a great example of that. Our department supports New Leaf. Over several years, our funding has been increased. They have a proposal in. We're reviewing that proposal, and there will be more to say on this later.

SUSAN LEBLANC: I am glad to hear that a proposal is under way, but what is needed is what was recommended by the Mass Casualty Commission - stable core funding for organizations that address and prevent gender-based violence. This type of funding would mean that groups like New Leaf don't have to keep putting proposals in. They don't have to keep wondering if they will be able to continue next year or the year after. Supporting groups like New Leaf - which focus on interventions for men - will help address the root causes of gender-based violence. My question is: Why won't this government commit to a funding model that will ensure important programs like New Leaf can continue year after year after year?

THE SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Justice.

HON. BECKY DRUHAN: My colleagues and I are eagerly wanting to answer this question because we are working cross-department. I do want to say that we recognize the need for core funding, and we have, in fact, started increasing core funding. That took place last year with respect to the transition houses - the largest increase in core funding in decades - and that was a significant investment. We're continuing to assess that. I wanted to draw the member's attention to the work that we are doing around supporting men, because this is an incredibly important issue, and we heard from Tod Augusta Scott - who is a leader in this field - in an article from the Halifax Examiner, and he said: ". . . while more money is always welcome for programs, including those for men, Nova Scotia is a leader nationally on this issue."

Why won’t the Health Minister help Jennifer Brady get the care she needs?

On September 19th I asked the Minister of Health if she would end the government’s legal battle against Jennifer Brady and allow Ms. Brady to receive the care she needs. Jennifer Brady has a debilitating lymphedema, and there is no treatment currently available in Nova Scotia. The department of health is saying it won’t cover out of province expenses without a specialist referral made in the province, but no specialist exists here. Jennifer has applied for medically assisted death earlier this year. We must not allow Jennifer Brady to die or live in pain when treatment is available. Below is our full exchange:

SUSAN LEBLANC : Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. The minister's department has been fighting Jennifer Brady in court for two years over a procedure that is covered by MSI. My question is: Why? Ms. Brady has debilitating lymphedema and there is no treatment currently available in Nova Scotia. The department is saying it won't cover out-of-province expenses without a specialist's referral made in the province, but no specialist exists here. Will the minister end this legal battle and allow Jennifer Brady to receive the care she needs?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: I certainly know that this is a very difficult situation for Ms. Brady. This matter is before the courts, and I will not comment.

SUSAN LEBLANC: The matter is in the courts; it's also on national news as Ms. Brady has shared her story with the CBC. Without access to the care she needs, Ms. Brady applied for MAID earlier this year. The head clinician who reviewed her application found that it met all criteria except that the condition cannot be treated. There is treatment available. As the clinician told the minister's department in his letter: Your office can make that happen. We know it is within the minister's ability to help Ms. Brady and many others like her. Will she do that?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: Again, I appreciate that this is a very difficult situation. Ms. Brady is free to share her personal health information. I, however, am not, and so I will not be able to comment any further on this situation.

Pressing the Minister about accessing primary care

On April 4, 2024 I asked the Minister of Health and Wellness about people’s troubles accessing primary health care in Nova Scotia:

SUSAN LEBLANC: Our offices hear regularly from people who are struggling to have their needs met without attachment to primary care. One told us, “I live with some chronic ailments, and I have no support to properly manage them. My partner is in a similar position. I have three children, and there are many things I would like to have support with from a primary care provider.” Another person said, “Both of us have multiple disabilities. My spouse’s health needs constant monitoring. We have no continuity of care, and it is stressful.” My question to the Minister of Health and Wellness is: Can the minister assure these and all 160,000 Nova Scotians on the Need a Family Practice wait-list that they will have attachment to a primary caregiver?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: I do want to assure folks who are on the Need a Family Practice Registry that one of the most important things and options available is to update their health information. Recently, as a result, people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes have actually been attached to a clinic to support their health care needs. Also, they’ve been scanning for people who have time-limited conditions such as pregnancy to make sure that people have access to the care they need. There are a number of ways in which people can access, and it also speaks to the necessary and important step of making sure that every individual in Nova Scotia has access to their health care records to ensure continuity of care.

SUSAN LEBLANC: Not sure how those two things line up, but let’s go on to the next question. Another person told us: “I can utilize services like Maple for refills, but no one is consistent. When my mental health is worse, I don’t have anyone to provide support and help change my meds if needed.” Another said: My 77-year-old father has been without a family doctor for several years now and has been waiting the whole time. He’s getting his prescriptions refilled by phone appointments but has had several health issues that need a primary care doctor as a main point of contact. He’s dealing with prostate cancer, high blood pressure, joint issues, and all the things that go hand in hand with getting old, all without a family doctor. Are these the people whom this government thinks are managing just fine with virtual care?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: Again, I go back to how important it is for individuals to work either through 811 or online in order to update their information. We know that there are people who do require complex care. In some cases, that can be handled through a pharmacy, as an example - cardiovascular health, there’s some diabetic care that can happen through there. There are a number of different avenues. We are looking at attaching people to a family practice. A family physician is very important, but there are other primary care providers who can support people in a healthhome environment. I would encourage people to make sure their information is updated on the Need a Family Practice Registry, and also to look at other avenues in which they can get support. We are scanning that Need a Family Practice Registry on a regular basis to look for people with chronic conditions and attach them to appropriate chronic care.

Asking the Minister of Health About Nova Scotians' Personal Health Information

SUSAN LEBLANC: Late last night, under the cover of darkness, government members discussed at length the mounting concerns about this government’s proposed new approach to the disclosure of personal health information, which physicians have warned will fundamentally change the nature of the patient-doctor relationship and potentially break people’s trust in their physicians by allowing unrestricted disclosure of deeply private information. Can the Minister of Health and Wellness explain: What is so important that requires this government to play with fire with our personal information?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: As I said yesterday, there are already requirements in place for the Minister of Health and Wellness that that individual has to meet under the Personal Health Information Act already. This is about getting information in the hands of Nova Scotians so that they can have their record in their hands and they can navigate the health care system. We have seen this be hugely successful in other jurisdictions. We have a responsibility to manage the health care system. We receive aggregate data from our hospitals, from our clinics, from all over, but we don’t have aggregate data from our primary care. That’s what this is about: managing a system, managing it well, managing it appropriately, and giving people access to their patient records.

SUSAN LEBLANC: The government has indicated that these changes are needed to advance the work of the YourHealthNS app - has anyone heard of that app, by the way? - which in part is being run by an Ontario-based company that was awarded this work in an untendered $50 million five-year contract last year. It’s recently come to light that this company has been facing financial challenges and was recently acquired by an investment firm. Last week in Estimates, I asked the minister about the sale and was told by the minister that the contract would be assumed by the buyer. Can the minister confirm: Has anyone from the department been in contact with the new owner of people’s private health information, and what does all this mean for Nova Scotia’s health data?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: I want to assure Nova Scotians that we are absolutely in compliance with all of the privacy laws that are in place. We want people to have access to their health records. We want people to be able to be their advocates in the health care system. People are saying, as we hear all the time from the feedback on the app, We want more. We want to know where our records are. We want to know what our bloodwork says. We want to know about our diagnostic imaging. People are asking for this information. Through this legislation and through the work that is happening with the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the individuals who are responsible for privacy to support us in granting that request, there is nothing to fear for Nova Scotians.

Question Period: 156,000+ on the doctor waitlist. Why is gov dismissing them?

My exchange with Health Minister Michelle Thompson about the Need a Family Practice wait list:

Last week, the Premier said: “There are different reasons people are on the list. Some actually have a doctor, but they don’t like their doctor, or they’re worried the doctor might retire, but they have access to care.” I can table that. I find this puzzling. The government actually publicly reports people’s reasons for joining the Need a Family Practice wait-list, which I will table: 54,708 are on the list because they’re new to the area; 15,672 have not needed a provider until now; 39,060 say their provider closed their practice; 31,092 said their provider had retired; and 15,256 say their provider is retiring. None of these are what the Premier said. My question is: Why is this government trying to detract from the very real experience and anxiety of the thousands of Nova Scotians without attachment to primary care?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: We do continue to use the Need a Family Practice registry as one of the indicators that is important, but it’s not the only one. We do have to look at the accessibility of health care. People languished on that list for a long time before we formed government, and there was no other access point for them, other than waiting at the emergency department. We have created 60,000 new appointments per month - that’s 720,000 per year - in order for people to access health care. We are working with the list. We understand who’s on that list. We are finding different pathways for individuals who have a variety of different concerns, and we will continue to attach and provide access to people in Nova Scotia.

SUSAN LEBLANC: Also last week, the Premier told us that only some Nova Scotians need a family doctor or nurse practitioner, and that for others, virtual is working just fine. I just tabled that. These certainly aren’t the people we speak to, who without attachment to care live in constant fear of getting sick: people with young children; people who need controlled medications prescribed or titrated; people with complex health needs. Can the minister tell the 156,000 people who are waiting which one of them doesn’t need a doctor?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: It is very important that if individuals are on that list, they do update their information. Recently, we’ve been able to attach 13,000 people. Some of those people were pregnant, for example. We know they have a time-sensitive condition that requires them to be attached to a primary care provider. We were able to attach a number of individuals directly to diabetic education centres. There are other people who can look after complex needs, like our pharmacists who can manage chronic disease, and we’re seeing that through the pilot that we have across the province. There are many ways to access care. We have also given over 10,000 patients access to their information, so that they can be better advocates for themselves in accessing and attaching for health care.

Susan Leblanc Asks What will Goverment do to Ensure Measles Vaccine Supply

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang recently urged Nova Scotians to check their immunization status, and for many to update their measles vaccination. Now we’re hearing that pharmacies and primary care providers are overwhelmed by demand. There are simply not enough doses of the vaccine. Kari Ellen Graham, a pharmacist in Halifax, has said, “The bottom line is you could try your pharmacy, although most pharmacies are out . . . a lot of doctor’s offices are now out.” How are Nova Scotians supposed to protect themselves and follow the advice of the Chief Medical Officer if there are no shots available?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: First of all, I want to clarify and go on the record that there are shots available. There is MMR vaccine in this province. There is no shortage. Because of the demand, the orders that physicians and pharmacists have, they’ve gone through those orders more quickly. It’s simply reaching back out to the BioDepot, explaining that they are out of the vaccine, and ordering more.

SUSAN LEBLANC: It would be great if people could access the vaccine through mobile health units in cases where pharmacies and primary care providers are not a viable option, but according to Nova Scotia Health Authority’s website, many parts of Nova Scotia do not have mobile immunization clinics scheduled until April, and many are not even offering the measles vaccine. Measles cases across Canada are on the rise- we’ve heard this. Nova Scotians should not have to wait several more weeks to access the recommended vaccination. What is this government doing to ensure that all Nova Scotians have access to the vaccinations they need when they need them?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: Nova Scotians have a variety of different ways in which they can access vaccines. They can access them through the mobile clinics, they can access them through primary care providers, they can access them through pharmacists. There are a variety of different ways. There is no shortage. There is high demand, which has caused offices and folks to go through their supply, but there is no shortage of the vaccine. If individuals require more vaccine- whether they have a pharmacy or whether they have an office- they simply need to reach out to the BioDepot and increase their supply.

Susan Leblanc asks the Minister to address nursing burnout and add locums

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. This province spent $126 million last year on travel nurses who work for private agencies. I can table that. Despite this large sum, our nursing shortage is not going away. The Nova Scotia Health Authority continues to have over a thousand nursing vacancies. Too many of our nurses are having to work 24-hour shifts, while others have to work up to six days a week. This is leading to burnout and nurses leaving the line of work. The travel nurse program is making it worse. On top of burnout, local nurses are working next to travel nurses who are making much more money. Why is this government continuing to throw money at private nursing agencies when the perceived solution is clearly not working?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: We know that there is a provincial and national nursing shortage. We have to use travel companies right now. There is no other alternative. It allows us to keep beds open. There has been an underinvestment in nursing education for a number of years, which has resulted in this nursing shortage. We are raising the number of seats. We are recruiting. Our Patient Access to Care Act is bringing people in from all over the country. If we were to walk away from travel nurses, we would have to close beds in this province, which we’re not willing to do. What I can tell the member is that we’re one of the first jurisdictions in Canada to actually limit the use of travel nurses, and we’re anxious to see what that will result in as the time moves on.

SUSAN LEBLANC: Janet Hazelton, the president of the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union, has presented a clear solution to this government. She would like to see a nurse locum program in place of their reliance on agency nurses. In a committee earlier this week, she said, “It’s very doable. All it’s going to take is for the unions and the employer to sit down and negotiate this. We just have to do it.” I can table that. When asked about such a program, the department said talks have been limited. Will this government listen to what nurses are saying and implement a provincial nurse locum program?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: Moving the same number of people around in a different way in the province is not going to help our nursing shortage. We have done a number of things. We’ve increased the number of seats. PACA - which that member voted against - will bring nurses from all over this country to Nova Scotia, enabling them to work within five days. We are looking at immigration strategies. We have to raise the supply of nurses. We need to train them. We need them to come and move and live and work here. We have a competitive contract. We are an incredible environment to work in. There are a number of things that are happening through the new collective agreement and by the employers to improve conditions for nurses, and I am confident in our ability to address the nursing shortage.

Question to Minister: Why won’t the government support teachers and stop burnout

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, Nova Scotia’s population is growing, and enrolment in our schools is increasing in step. This is putting immense pressure on our teachers. A recent survey from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union found that 84 per cent of Nova Scotia teachers have considered leaving the profession in the last five years due to burnout, a lack of resources, and several other factors, and I will table that. My question for the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development is: What is this government doing to protect our teachers from burning out?

HON. BECKY DRUHAN: It is incredibly important that our staff team of 20,000 across the province -10,000 of whom are teachers -and others feel supported to be able to provide the support and education that our students need. Our government knows and understands this. That is why we have spent so much time connecting with, listening to, and acting on the advice, recommendations, ideas, and suggestions of teachers and educators across the province. Speaker, I’m excited to tell you about all the things that we’ve heard. I have met with over 60 staff teams in meetings. I’ve been to dozens of schools, and they’ve given us ideas, like how we add more food to schools. We’re introducing a lunch program based on that advice.

SUSAN LEBLANC: I’m going to table an op-ed by the Nova Scotia Teachers Union president, Ryan Lutes, which talks about the need for another way to support teachers, which is making sure that we support our substitutes. One way to take the pressure off our schools is by addressing the chronic shortage of substitute teachers. The wages of Nova Scotia’s substitute teachers have not kept pace with the steep increase in the cost of living. In fact, they have not even keptpace with the wages of substitute teachers in other provinces. Our substitute teachers are some of the lowest-paid across Canada. I will table that op-ed. My question to the minister is: Will this government give Nova Scotia’s substitute teachers the pay raise they need?

BECKY DRUHAN: Speaker, I’ve said on many other occasions that I value and respect the bargaining process, and so I’m certainly not going to engage in that on the floor. The question of substitute teacher pay is one of the types of issues that can be at the table as teachers bargain, so I am not going to address that. This is something that I’ve spoken to with those thousands of teachers I’ve talked to. While we await that bargaining process to unfold, we’ve taken action. Based on the request of teachers across the province, we’ve increased the term subs, so that we now have term substitute teachers across the province who are available to be deployed into classes when they’re needed, as they’re needed. They build relationships in schools, and that’s something we’ve done on action directly on advice from teachers.

Question to Minister: Fixed term lease loophole forcing Dartmouth renters to move

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for the Residential Tenancies Act. Last week the final tenant was evicted from a nine-unit Dartmouth North building after the landlord refused to renew a series of fixed-term leases. As a result of having to move, Keely Corrigan saw her rent more than double. It went from $754 to $1,525, and I will table that. Without the abuse of fixed-term leases, Keely could have stayed in her rent-capped unit instead of moving into a unit she will struggle to pay for. My question for the minister is: Does the minister believe that this is the intended and appropriate use of fixed-term leases?

HON. COLTON LEBLANC: Of course, I recognize that when a tenant does face the end of their lease, it does put them in a very difficult situation. It does cause a lot of stress. Again, I have spoken at length about the intended use of fixed-term leases on the floor of the Legislature. It is the time and place for them, and as a member of this government, I continue to support that intended use. We know that the low vacancy rate in the province is causing a lot of stress in the housing market. And that is why, as a government, we are focused on the true solution that is adding more housing stock to the housing market -a $1 billion investment over five years to add an additional 40,000 units. And that’s why I am proud of the leadership of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, this is not an isolated incident. This story has played out time and time again in my office and surely in many others around the province. Residents are being displaced from affordable units, often into unaffordable or precarious housing or, in fact, into homelessness. This government seems to think that handing over funding to developers and landlords will result in trickle-down affordability. We’ve had nearly three years of this philosophy, and all we have to show for it in Dartmouth North is a series of renovated buildings that have doubled in price. My question to the minister is: Why is this government failing to preserve the precious few affordable housing units we have left?

COLTON LEBLANC: I certainly do not want to speak for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing but, again, I go to the true solution. We are focusing on more housing, more places that Nova Scotians can call home. Contrary to what the member opposite is saying, we are making a number of investments in the housing market, whether it be modular or public housing, whether it be new public housing, whether it is supporting student housing projects across the province, whether it is new or affordable housing projects, whether it’s removing the provincial HST portion on new construction for purpose-built multi-unit apartments. We know we need more housing. That is the solution to the housing crisis.

Government Must Fund More Midwives in Nova Scotia

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, midwifery-led births account for only 5 per cent of total births in Nova Scotia, far below the national average of 14 per cent, and I can table that. This is a disservice for expectant mothers in Nova Scotia, given many positive health outcomes associated. Midwifery support leads to more natural births, a decrease in C-sections and surgical interventions, easier breastfeeding initiation, and it decreases the chance of having a pre-term birth. Not only does it take the stress off new moms, but it also takes stress off our hospitals. Does the Minister of Health and Wellness recognize the importance of midwifery care in our health care system?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: I spoke about this yesterday in the Chamber. Certainly, midwives have a role to play in prenatal, obstetrical, and gynecological care. In fact, there are things that they can do around supporting women’s wellness. We have a couple of areas outside of the city. IWK has some midwives, and we do have some areas. It certainly is not easy to maintain the staffing complement in those areas. We’re also making sure that midwives are part of a team. We need to ensure that they have nurses who are around them. We need to make sure they have primary care physicians who do obstetrics. We need to make sure they have specialty services to support them. Yes, many deliveries are usual and regular, but we need to make sure that they have the infrastructure around them. We do continue to look at women’s health issues, and we’ll continue to assess the situation as we move forward.

SUSAN LEBLANC: As the minister’s response shows, it’s hard to ignore the benefits of midwives that they add to our health care system. Investment in midwives is simply a smart policy, yet there are only 16 funded positions and 3 practices in the province. Many communities across Nova Scotia, as the minister said, lack essential midwifery care. The budget yesterday was a missed opportunity for this government to address the critical shortage. Why is this government not investing in midwives? MICHELLE THOMPSON: Nova Scotians are not missing out on good, quality, excellent obstetrical and gynecological care in this province, and midwives are a part of that team, but they are not the only members on that team. We know that midwives play a role. We have 16 positions. To date, they have been very difficult to date to fill. We continue to work with Nova Scotia Health and IWK to better understand how to support them.

THE SPEAKER: Order. The time allotted for Oral Questions Put by Members to Ministers has expired.

Minister Must Give Auditor General Funding She Needs

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board. The Auditor General’s budget request for increased funding for health audits was unanimously approved at a recent committee meeting. The idea of additional health auditors actually comes from this government’s election platform and the Health and Wellness Minister’s own mandate letter, but despite this committee’s approval, it is inexplicably missing from the budget. Can the minister explain why this election promise and mandate is going unfulfilled?

HON. ALLAN MACMASTER: Speaker, it’s not missing from the budget, and it’s not missing as a platform commitment unfulfilled either. The commitment has been fulfilled. We created this extra resource capacity for the Auditor General because we believe in the importance of auditing what’s happening in health care, because we want to see continuous improvement. We see the Auditor General’s Office as playing a role in that. We actually stuck to what we committed to in our election platform, and that office is now staffed as we had committed to in our election campaign.

SUSAN LEBLANC: The Auditor General was approved by the special committee for $1.1 million and received $200,000 extra this year. Last year, she asked for extra money and she got not nearly what she asked for. This is unreal, in the face of this government yesterday tabling a budget that again allocated its bulk of spending toward health care at a whopping $7.3 billion. (Applause) Yes, yes. Great, great. With this level of investment, and in the midst of the scandal that is the Hogan Court health hotel, it’s more important than ever to have the independent eyes of the Auditor General to ensure that the government is accountable and transparent in their health care spending. My question to the minister: If the minister believes his government’s spending is all above-board, why won’t he provide the funds to the Auditor General that she asks for?

ALLAN MACMASTER: No other government before has provided these resources to the Auditor General’s Office. That’s a fact. Nobody did it before. We’re open to doing it. We did it. We did what we said we would do in the election campaign. There are a lot of asks -believe me. We had well over another billion dollars of spending asks that we could have said yes to, but we said yes to a lot of things in the budget yesterday. One of them was further increases in the health budget, because that is our focus as a government, and there was something new: There was tax relief for Nova Scotians.

Question to Minister: Why did gov pay developer’s tax bill on Hogan Court?

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. In the Auditor General’s report on the Hogan Court hotel deal, it was revealed that the highly unusual and concerning transaction was negotiated with a developer who didn’t even own the property and then included $500,000 to cover the developer’s deed transfer tax after they bought and flipped the hotel to the Province. My question is -and I think we would all like to know this -why is the government paying this developer’s tax bill?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: We continually talk about Hogan Court, and I’m so pleased to be able to stand up and talk about that first-in-the-province transition-to-care facility. This is a monumental change. I can appreciate that they’ve . . . (interruption).

THE SPEAKER: Order. We’re all a little bit too loud in here today. We’re going to start again. The honourable Minister of Health and Wellness.

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: Thank you. I’d like to thank the members opposite for just helping me prompt my response there. I might have missed that opportunity if they hadn’t said something. We are really pleased with this development. There was a right of first refusal that informed how we proceeded with the project. We bought this facility so that we can get more care faster to Nova Scotians, particularly our seniors who are waiting in hospital. There are things we can absolutely learn from the Auditor General’s report. We have accepted them. Certainly the last Auditor General’s report had said that I was going too fast and doing too much, and I will take that any day over other . . .

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, many may find it hard to believe, but despite spending a massive amount on this shell of a hotel, the government missed a pretty important part: the driveway. Shockingly, the government’s new overpriced hotel doesn’t even have road access. Instead, this government had to negotiate service and access agreements with the developer to make up for the omission. Why did the purchase of this hotel fail to include a driveway, and how much are we paying the developer for road access to our own building?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: If the only thing the member opposite can find wrong with Hogan Court is that it doesn’t have (interruption). The only thing we’re talking about today is a little driveway. I feel confident in our ability to put in an adequate driveway that will help families pick up their loved one and take them home after they receive excellent care in a transition-to-care facility.

Susan Leblanc Asks Government About Careless Spending on Hogan Court

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, the government’s approach of “going like hell” -and I’ll table that -has proven to be high-risk but not high-reward. In fact, care seems to be missing entirely from the government’s approach to health care spending. Carelessly handing out untendered contracts has resulted in out-of-control costs, and a decrease in the promised number of additional health care beds. My question for the Minister of Health and Wellness is: When will the government take responsibility for its poor decision on the Hogan Court project?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: There have been historic investments to date with a new budget coming. We have made incredible decisions. We have made incredible investments -60,000 more primary care appointments per month. We’ve invested in 60 new and strengthened primary care clinics across this province. We are finally using pharmacists to the fullness of their scope, resulting in 95,000. We are working with seniors in long-term care with the Nova Scotia Health Authority to transition seniors in this province in a respectful way to appropriate places for them to recondition and finally get home. We have a new Cape Breton Medical Campus. We have a surgical wait-list that has reduced by 27 per cent since April 1, 2022. I have about six more pages . . .

SUSAN LEBLANC: Money is tight these days. Nova Scotians go to the grocery store and compare costs before deciding what items to buy because they understand the importance of getting value for what they are spending. On the other hand, this government -as we have heard from the Auditor General bought a $35 million hotel without even a proper appraisal. While many Nova Scotians are scrounging to save a few cents, the government is recklessly throwing around millions of dollars. Will the government apologize to Nova Scotians for taking such a careless approach to health care spending?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: What I really want Nova Scotians to know is that this is a government that fully invests in their health, in their wellness, and in their ability to transition, based on the stage of their life, to an appropriate place where they can live. We did not buy a hotel; we bought a transition-to-community facility. When you have people who are world-class clinicians -like Dr. Christine Short and Dr. Rockwood excited about the prospect of the ability to care for our elders in this type of environment, it is more than value for money. Nova Scotians should be very proud that this government has their shoulders to the wheel, and that we show every day how we value them, because nobody on that side did for the last 12 years.

Susan Leblanc pushes government to commit to free birth control for all in N.S.

SUSAN LEBLANC: My question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. For many Nova Scotians, the cost of birth control prevents them from accessing this basic form of health care. It’s estimated that one in three Nova Scotian workers do not have health benefits, and not all benefit plans offer equal coverage of the care. Insufficient access to birth control leads to worsened health, well-being, and socio-economic outcomes for patients, families, and communities. The minister has worked extensively as a health care provider. Does she find it acceptable that so many Nova Scotians can’t access this important medication?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: Certainly, we’re looking at universal birth control over the last number of months. We know that there are a number of people, through Family Pharmacare, who can access birth control, providing that there is a medication component. I certainly know in the instance of IUDs, in order for those to be covered under Family Pharmacare, there does need to be a medicinal and hormonal component to that. We continue to look at ways to support Nova Scotians. We also know that through the Department of Community Services, as well, there’s free birth control available to those who meet the criteria. We are working all the time to cover things that are important to Nova Scotians, and we’ll continue to do that review.

SUSAN LEBLANC: The minister will know that there are gaps in providing contraception. Earlier this year, British Columbia became the first province to provide access to free prescription contraception.Nova Scotia needs to follow suit. It’s estimated that for every dollar spent on contraception access, there’s up to $90 in public savings. The Access Now Nova Scotia Coalition has called on government to urgently address this issue, supported by organizations like the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia College of Family Physicians, the Dalhousie Department of Pediatrics, the Dalhousie Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the North End Community Health Centre, and many others. I will table that list. Will the minister commit to ensuring that every Nova Scotian has access to no-cost contraception?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: Our Pharmacare Program is under incredible pressure, as we all know. Not only do we have advancing technologies and therapies, but we also know the costs of drugs are going up. As a department, we continue to look at what we’re best able to supply to Nova Scotians. We want to make sure we have things that are accessible to them and that are needed. There are always competing priorities, and we will continue to balance and look at those over the coming months. We will do what we can to support Nova Scotians.

Susan Leblanc asks minister why rent supplements keep being restricted

SUSAN LEBLANC: My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Last week, after changing the rent supplement program to no longer allow a statutory declaration in place of a lease, the minister told reporters that “it’s got to be quite rare that someone doesn’t have a lease.” I can table that. In fact, Speaker, it is not. For example, data from the CBRM shows that 6 per cent of rental agreements don’t have lease agreements and 28 per cent don’t have leases in rooming houses. I can table that. Given this information, will the minister reverse this policy change and allow statutory declarations in place of leases?

HON. JOHN LOHR: What in fact has happened is that before we made our change it was just routine. There was the option of one -provide a lease or provide a statutory declaration. We’ve changed the policy so that we require a lease but if there is not a lease available, we will accept a statutory declaration, if there are other corroborating documents along with that. We are not slamming the door on that, but we’re saying it’s not just a routine (a) or (b), one or the other. There needs to be more corroborating information with that statutory declaration.

SUSAN LEBLANC: This is new news and has not been shared, I think, with constituency offices or the public. This change that I just talked about comes on the heels of a slew of changes to the program that will make it harder for people to qualify but the government is being opaque about the details of the changes. The minister last week said that maybe a power bill could be used in place of a lease. Today he is saying a statutory declaration with corroborating documents. My office wasn’t given any of thisinformation or options. Nova Scotia Legal Aid staff lawyer Nora MacIntosh was given a $900 fee estimate when she simply tried to access the policies the department uses for the rent supplement program. I can table that. My question to the minister is: Why is the government so secretive about how to access this already restrictive program?

JOHN LOHR: What I can say is that we have one of the most successful rent supplement programs in the country. I’ve said this before in the House: When I meet with my other provincial counterparts, one of the questions they often ask federal ministers is, Can we use that money for something else? They’re not fully subscribed with their rent supplement program. We’re more than fully subscribed: We’re four times over. We’ve got a $52 million program -of which approximately $42 million is provincial money -in what was meant to be a cost-share program. I have raised that issue with the federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. We need the feds to stepup more than that. That’s clear. We’re working hard on this program. We’re proud of the program we have.

Susan Leblanc asks minister to guarantee a roof for everyone sleeping outside

SUSAN LEBLANC: My question is for the Minister of Community Services. Last night, temperatures dipped to zero degrees, and there is snow forecast in many parts of the province this week. We don’t know where a Winter shelter will be in HRM, but we do know that it will only be 50 beds, not nearly enough to meet the needs of the hundreds of people facing Winter outdoors.Living outside in the Winter can be deadly. Why hasn’t this government put forward a plan to house every person in HRM this Winter? THE SPEAKER: The honourable Minister for Community Services.

HON. TREVOR BOUDREAU: Thank you to the member for the question. We recognize the urgency of temperatures dropping and homelessness here in the province certainly here in HRM, but also across the province. Absolutely, we are working hard with our partners, with HRM, to secure a location for this shelter. I also will take the opportunity to talk about the Pallet shelters that will be coming, 200 of them for across the province: 100 of them for here in HRM, as well as 100 more for the rest of Nova Scotia. We know the urgency, we sense it. We’re continuing to work with our partners, we know there’s more to do, and we’ll continue to do what we can.

SUSAN LEBLANC: Let’s do the math here. We’ve got 50 beds in a shelter. We’ve got 100 Pallet shelters somewhere else. Since this government was elected two years ago, the number of chronically homeless people in HRM alone has more than doubled as a result of its housing policies. There are now more than 1,000 people actively homeless in HRM, many of them in Dartmouth. The minister is referencing a number of things: sheds, tiny homes, shelters. They do not add up to a warm place indoors for every single person who needs one. When will the minister guarantee a roof for every person living outside this winter in Nova Scotia?

TREVOR BOUDREAU: We recognize that everyone deserves a safe place to live. Over the past two years, this government has made significant investments in supporting people who are experiencing homelessness. I think of a couple of innovative projects, including The Bridge, that has been quite successful, and The Overlook. Again, we have talked about the Palletshelters as well as the tiny homes. Just for some perspective: Over the last two years, 417 new supportive housing units have been created by this government. We know there’s more to do -we do know there’s more to do, and we’ll continue to do what we can to support our most vulnerable. THE SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Atlantic.

Susan Leblanc Asks Housing Minister About Changes to Rent Supplement

This is my entire exchange with the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs regarding one of the many changes that his government has made to the rent supplement that is making the program less and less accessible to Nova Scotians.

SUSAN LEBLANC: My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Recently, when attempting to help a Nova Scotian get a rent supplement, my office learned that the program will no longer accept statutory declarations in place of a lease. In my community, and in many others across the province, there are countless reasons why someone might not have a lease, and it can be a lifeline to be able to get a statutory declaration in place of one. This change will mean that people could lose their homes. My question to the minister is: Why is the government so insistent on making it harder to find and keep a place to live?

HON. JOHN LOHR: I can say that we are in the process of tightening up some of our procedures, making them more in line with federal government procedures when dealing with programs that we put out. The reality is that we had people apply for rent supplements without a lease and then never end up renting. We had to tighten that whole process up. We recognize that it does make it a little bit harder, but certainly they are pre-approved for the rent supplement. They simply need to rent the apartment before we provide the money.

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. It is impossible formany people to have a lease. Some people have rented for years and years and years and their lease is long gone. A statutory declaration was what they used -a legal document -to replace the lease. Now those are not being accepted. Our office was told: Due to policy changes, we are no longer accepting confirmation of occupancy forms or statutory declarations in lieu of leases. A caseworker will reach out to the client and let them know that they will need a full lease going forward. I will table that email. This comes on the heels of the supplement program’s eligibility being slashed from 30 per cent of a person’s income being spent on rent to 50 per cent before they qualify. This is very, very bad for many people. Even fewer people will qualify for rent supplements because of these changes. Will the minister reverse this very bad decision?

JOHN LOHR: The reality is we have one of the most robust and strongest rent supp programs in the country. I’ve said it before in the House: When I go to federal-provincial-territorial meetings, the other provinces are saying, We are not spending our Canada rent supp money, can we spend it on something else? We’re in the opposite position. We’re far exceeding the federal contribution, and we will continue to do that. We now have almost 8,000 people on rent supps, and we continue to invest further in rent supps, and recognize their importance in our province.

Susan LeBlanc asks why government is hiding data about emergency care crisis

SUSAN LEBLANC: My question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. Every day in this province, ambulances and patients are tied up, waiting dangerously long times, to be off-loaded at the hospital. On a recent Tuesday evening, I was told that 17 paramedics were at the QEII waiting to off-load patients. In her report on this issue, the Auditor General said, “We recommend the Department of Health and Wellness publicly report weekly ground ambulance response times by community and offload times by hospital.” I can table that. Presumably the minister has this information. Will she commit to reporting it weekly?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: Certainly we are very committed to be a transparent government that reports on a variety of metrics, and I would point the member opposite to Action for Health. On a regular basis, not always weekly, but on a monthly or quarterly basis -sometimes annually, depending on the metric -we do post information there so that Nova Scotians can see how the system is performing. Not alwaysare those the best outcomes that we’d like, and those are the places where we focus the most, so I would say that we are very transparent. We are very committed to being transparent with Nova Scotians. We continue to work with the provider as well as the Nova Scotia Health Authority around off-load times as well as other metrics. I would point the member to the Action for Health website.

SUSAN LEBLANC: The current standard says that an ambulance that arrives at an emergency room should be able off-load the patient in 30 minutes or less. The government’s most recent public data show that for the week of October 1st, in the Western Zone, the average off-load time was 88 minutes. In the Northern Zone, it was 92 minutes. In the Central Zone, it was 139 minutes, and in the Eastern Zone, it was a 150-minute average -an average wait for thepatient to be off-loaded into the emergency department and the paramedic to get back on the road which is five times longer than the standard. But when it comes to what is happening at each individual hospital, people are left in the dark. So why is the government hiding this data?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: Certainly, there is no attempt to hide any information at all whatsoever. We’re not trying to hide it at all. In fact, we’re the first government that has an Action for Health website that actually shows the data for what’s happening in the health care system. What happened is we’re working very hard across this province. We have a number of places where the off-load times are meeting standards. We look at places like the Aberdeen Hospital, we look at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital, and we look at all ofthese hospitals and we take what’s happening there, and we scale it as best we can. There is nobody taking their foot off the gas in terms of response time. We are under-bedded in this province, in long-term care and in the hospitals, and have been for decades. We also need to increase staffing. So there’s a ton of work that’s happening around off-load times.