Monday April 8, I asked, in Question
Period, about the CancerCare Manitoba review. The government's first
attempt to put together a review did not work, I asked about the plans
for the revised review and for some certainty that the review would be about improving
the quality of cancer prevention and care, and not just about cutting
spending. My questions and the govenrment's responses are below.
CancerCare Manitoba - Government Review
Hon.
Jon Gerrard (River
Heights): Madam
Speaker, let me start today by paying tribute to Arnold Frieman, a great
entrepreneur and builder who was eulogized this morning by Rabbi Alan Green.
My
question today is about CancerCare Manitoba. The government's review process
didn't work.
Why
didn't it work, and what is the government's next step with respect to
CancerCare Manitoba?
Hon.
Cameron Friesen (Minister
of Health, Seniors and Active Living): I thank the member for
the question. It's important to undertake this operational review of CancerCare
Manitoba. We believe that every opportunity should be explored to be able to
deliver cancer programming and services to Manitobans.
This
is something that is agreed to by CancerCare Manitoba and I can tell you that
the CEO for CancerCare was there that day when we announced this. I look
forward to answering the question of the member even further in my next
response.
Madam
Speaker: The
honourable member for River Heights, on a supplementary question.
Mr.
Gerrard: Madam
Speaker, so the government will continue with a review. What's
the process for the review? What's the timeline for the review? What will be
the goal of the review?
Will
it be to find efficiencies, the word the government uses for spending cuts, or
will it be to build on what has been achieved so far so that CancerCare
Manitoba can provide even better cancer prevention and treatment for
Manitobans?
Indeed,
I note in this context that the Premier (Mr. Pallister) has already
dramatically reduced funding for Research Manitoba, the very body that funds
the research needed to improve prevention and care.
Mr.
Friesen: We
would have preferred, of course, that the request for proposals would have
returned a successful proponent.
The
member should understand, though, that when it came to undertaking to secure a
third party for this engagement it is a complicated thing to look for someone
with the necessary clinical, operational, and financial expertise in acute
medicine, including cancer care.
So
in this case, we are committed to the goal that we originally stated. We will
look for other ways to advance this exercise, but we need to make sure that
CancerCare is delivering those services to the very best of their ability
because we know that the demand is only going to increase in future.
Madam
Speaker: The
honourable member for River Heights on a final supplementary.
Mr.
Gerrard: Madam
Speaker, I note the Minister of Health is copying the previous NDP minister of
Health in answering by saying that, oh, it's too complex and therefore we can't
do much about it.
Let
me follow-up: Will the government focus on improving prevention and
care, or will it, as it has done with previous reviews, focus primarily on
where there can be cuts in funding, focusing on cuts in funding and putting
people at CancerCare Manitoba into the "valley of despair" to which
this government has subjected so many other health-care workers?
Is
that what the government's goal is?
Mr.
Friesen: Well,
Madam Speaker, now the member has just entered into the valley of
misinformation.
Madam
Speaker, to be clear, the changes undertaken in our amendments in Bill 10
establish CancerCare Manitoba as the cancer care delivery organization for this
province. We need to ensure that everything is being done to make sure that
there is capacity not just now, but five years from now, 10 years from now.
I
remind that member that these were the same things that the CEO for CancerCare
said when we took this engagement on and said this is the way we build capacity
for the future.
We're
getting better health care sooner for all Manitobans. That includes CancerCare.
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