SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

Ontario Assembly

43rd Parl. 1st Sess.
March 7, 2024 09:00AM
  • Mar/7/24 10:50:00 a.m.

I love these questions because it gives me an opportunity to talk about the investments that our government, under Premier Ford, has been able to make in primary care multidisciplinary teams—78 new or expanded primary care teams, multidisciplinary teams, which means doctors working with nurse practitioners, working with nurses, with dietitians, with mental health workers. It is historic that we have seen this investment and, respectfully, the investments are happening across Ontario: 78 different teams in Toronto, in Ottawa, in Orillia. Where we see the need, we have made those investments, a tripling of the investment that we announced under our Your Health plan.

But having said that, we’ve already made changes. The expanded scope of practice that we have announced and embarked on, particularly in pharmacies—we now have over 800,000 people who are accessing their local community pharmacist to deal with minor ailments. Those are changes that our government has been able to put in, working with our partners. We’ve expanded scope of practice for nurse practitioners. We’ve expanded scope of practice for RNs. And we continue to do that work because we know people need to be able to see the appropriate clinician, depending on the issues and illnesses that they’re dealing with.

Speaker, numbers matter. It would have been over 200 new physicians in the province of Ontario.

We are actively working with our partners like the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. A single ministerial directive letter ensured that internationally educated graduates who are waiting and want to practise in the province of Ontario have that opportunity. The direction was to quickly assess, review, and when appropriate, license people who are waiting to practise in the province of Ontario. We’ll continue to get the work done. Thank you.

There is no doubt, when these catastrophic events happen, that we all need to work together. The member opposite knows that this was a federal nursing station. We will absolutely be there as a provincial partner, but we have to make sure that all of us are working together for the people of Cat Lake. Thank you.

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  • Mar/7/24 11:30:00 a.m.

Speaker, you will know that we have made considerable investments in the Niagara region—not, of course, without a lot of advocacy from the member from Niagara West, Sam Oosterhoff.

It is very exciting to see the expansion, the build, the groundbreaking, which, by the way, your member that you sit beside actually attended and acknowledged was great news for South Niagara with the South Niagara Hospital—a multi-million-dollar investment in Niagara region.

The member opposite continues to ignore the fact that as we make those expansions, as we ensure that through a $110-million investment in primary care expansion—which, by the way—facts matter—includes an increase to the base of the existing health care teams.

Interjections.

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