Skip to main content

National Nursing Week

On Monday May 9, I spoke in the Manitoba Legislature on National Nursing Week.  My comments are below. 

Mr. Gerrard: Madam Speaker, I begin my comments on National Nurses Week with a big thank you to all nurses in Manitoba. What you have done during the COVID pandemic has been and is absolutely extra­ordinary, and has often been at great personal and family sacrifice.

In spite of many of you having had to switch positions or locations as a result of the Conservative government's reorganization in the 2016 to twenty‑nine period, and in spite of the fact that much of the Conservative government's reorganization has made life and the delivery of health care more dif­ficult, you have continued to work and to help others in a way that has been outstanding.

      Even when the Conservative government closed down emergency rooms or urgent care centres or QuickCare clinics where you were working, you have put every effort into continuing to provide care for Manitobans.

      Even when the Conservative government failed to listen to recommendations from various know­ledge­able sources to ensure adequate staffing of long-term care facilities, including personal-care homes, you have done everything possible under very dif­ficult circumstances to help seniors and elders in our province.

      Even when the Conservative government failed miserably in filling staffing positions, to the extent that many, many areas of nursing care in Manitoba were understaffed by 10 to 30 per cent or more, you still came to work and you did everything you pos­sibly could to help Manitobans.

      Even when the Conservative government so botched the organization of our provincial health-care system that emergency rooms and urgent-care centres have wait times of 10 to 12 hours, and even when those who have had to wait a long time got frustrated and angry and took their anger out on you, you did not hesitate to continue working and giving everything you have to help Manitobans who are sick and who were having a lot of difficulty.

      Thank you, thank you, thank you. Merci. Miigwech. Dyakuyu.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Comparison between Manitoba and South Dakota shows dramatic impact of Physical Distancing

Manitoba implemented physical distancing measures in mid-March.  South Dakota has still not made physical distancing mandatory.   The result is a dramatic difference in the incidence of covid-19 viral infections between the two jurisdictions.   This graph shows the number of people with Covid-19 infections from March 27 to April 14.  Manitoba ( red line )  started leveling off about April 4 and has seen only a small increase in Covid-19 infections since then.   South Dakota ( blue line )   has seen a dramatic increase in Covid-19 infections since April 4.  Those who are skeptical of the impact of physical distancing in Manitoba should look at this graph! Data are from the Johns Hopkins daily tabulations
18 comments
Read more

Pushing for safe consumption sites and safe supply to reduce overdose deaths

  On Monday June 20th, Thomas Linner of the Manitoba Health Coalition, Arlene Last-Kolb Regional Director of Moms Stop the Harm and Winnipeg City Councillor Sherri Rollins were at the Manitoba Legislature to advocate for better measures to reduce deaths from drug overdoses, most particularly for safe consumption sites and for a safe supply, measures which can reduce overdose deaths.  
Post a Comment
Read more

Dougald Lamont speaks out strongly against the "reprehensible", "legally and morally indefensible" Bill 2

 Early in the morning, just after 3 am, on November 6th, Dougald Lamont spoke at third reading of Bill 2, the Budget Implementation and Statutes Amendment Act.  He spoke strongly against the bill because it attempts to legitimize a historic injustice against children in the care of child and family services.  As  Dougald says this bill is " the betrayal of children, First Nations and the people of this province. " Mr. Dougald  Lamont  (St. Boniface):   These are historic times. This is an  historic budget, for all the wrong reasons.  I was thinking of the Premier's (Mr. Pallister) comments about D-Day today and my relatives who served in combat in the First and Second World War. I had a relative who played for the Blue Bombers and served at D-Day with the Winnipeg Rifles because he was an excellent athlete, he made it quite a long way up the beach.       And had he lived until last year, he might have been one of the veterans the Premier insulted by not showing up at a
1 comment
Read more