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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 320

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 29, 2024 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 320 - May/29/24
Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay (South Surrey—White Rock, CPC)
  • May/29/24 8:05:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my questions will all be for the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Does the minister agree that hospitals should be safe places where patient care is a priority?
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Hon. Ya'ara Saks (Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, Lib.)
  • May/29/24 8:05:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think we all agree that hospitals should be a safe place where patients receive care.
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Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay
  • May/29/24 8:06:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a B.C. nurse was told not to breastfeed her child in case her milk was contaminated by drugs she was exposed to at work. As a parent, does the minister find this acceptable?
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Hon. Ya'ara Saks
  • May/29/24 8:06:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, parents want all places to be safe.
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Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay
  • May/29/24 8:06:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, five nurses on one shift were so sick that they had to be sent to emergency because of exposure to fentanyl smoke. Does the minister find this acceptable?
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Hon. Ya'ara Saks
  • May/29/24 8:06:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all hospitals should be safe places for those who work there. We have passed legislation to protect health workers and provinces have the same responsibilities to regulate hospitals.
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Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay
  • May/29/24 8:06:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, would the minister say if nurses should be exposed to fentanyl smoke in the workplace, yes or no?
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Hon. Ya'ara Saks
  • May/29/24 8:06:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have passed legislation to ensure workplace safety, including for hospitals, that is regulated by the province. We have ensured there is legislation for health workers to be safe.
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Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay
  • May/29/24 8:07:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yet that did not happen under the minister in the exemption she granted to British Columbia. Should nurses be exposed to meth smoke in their workplace, yes or no?
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Hon. Ya'ara Saks
  • May/29/24 8:07:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member well knows that health services are under the purview of provincial jurisdiction for safety and enforcement.
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Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay
  • May/29/24 8:07:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is in fact a combined jurisdiction. Would the minister agree or not agree that nurses should be afraid they might be stabbed with a knife in their workplace?
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Hon. Ya'ara Saks
  • May/29/24 8:07:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I believe all members agree that workplaces, including hospitals, should be safe.
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Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay
  • May/29/24 8:07:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a leaked B.C. Northern Health memo told nurses to stop confiscating weapons from patients and to permit the use of hard drugs in their rooms. Is the minister aware of this?
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Hon. Ya'ara Saks
  • May/29/24 8:08:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, hospitals and law enforcement are under provincial jurisdiction to ensure safe workplaces. We, of course, support the enforcement of safe workplaces for health workers.
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Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay
  • May/29/24 8:08:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, does the minister confirm or deny that she granted an exemption to the province of B.C., at the request of that government, to allow these kinds of hard drugs to be used in public places, including hospitals.
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Hon. Ya'ara Saks
  • May/29/24 8:08:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the request by B.C. for the subsection 56(1) exemption had a clear mandate of public safety and public health. That is how we work collaboratively with the B.C. government.
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Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay
  • May/29/24 8:08:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister did not answer my question. Did she in fact grant an exemption at the request of the B.C. government that allowed for hard drug use, unprescribed and unsupervised, in hospitals in British Columbia?
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Hon. Ya'ara Saks
  • May/29/24 8:09:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the B.C. exemption, which was requested by the province, has been amended, as per its request, to ensure that public safety is a top priority as well as ensuring public health services.
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Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay
  • May/29/24 8:09:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when did the minister sign that exemption?
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Hon. Ya'ara Saks
  • May/29/24 8:09:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member needs to be clear about which amendment.
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