Critics blast Ford gov’s continued defense of Bill 124 after new revelations

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The Ford government is facing heavy criticism after internal documents, obtained by Global News, acknowledge that low wages and Bill 124 have negatively impacted Ontario’s ability to retain nurses in the workforce. provincial health care sector.

Internal government documents, which sought to brief Health Minister Sylvia Jones on a wide range of issues relating to her portfolio, cite the government’s own pay restraint and low pay legislation as contributing factors to staffing problems. provincial health workers.

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“It is now clear that (Doug) Ford and (Sylvia) Jones always knew that Bill 124 was contributing to the staffing crisis in our hospitals,” said NDP health critic France Glinas. in response to Global News reports.

“They knew Bill 124 was forcing overworked and underpaid health care workers out of their jobs. They just didn’t care.

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Opposition parties and nursing advocates have called on the provincial government to repeal Bill 124. They also asked the province to drop its appeal against a court ruling that declared the law unconstitutional.

The revelation comes as the Ford government is set to appeal a decision that rejected #Bill124.

They know #Bill124 is breaking our healthcare workers. They do not care.

This is how you privatize. #onpoli https://t.co/YAoXvFy9Ml

— MPP Catherine Fife (@CFifeKW) January 9, 2023

The revelations were contained in Jones’ transition binder, which Global News obtained through a freedom of information request.

It is designed to brief a new cabinet minister on the internal workings of the ministry, decision-making frameworks and key issues the politician may need to address.

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Part of the brief dealing with retention issues in the health care system pointed to concerns about wage disparity via Bill 124 as a contributing factor, along with wage disparity.

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In a separate briefing note, the ministry acknowledged that Ontario’s healthcare staffing challenges have worsened during the pandemic.

Health human resource (HHR) shortages predate the pandemic; however, shortages of nurses and personal support workers have worsened, says a slide created for the health ministers transition binder.

Green Party leader Mike Schreiner said the documents showed Ford’s actions were “a gross dereliction of duty as prime minister”.

“Ford’s reckless determination to defend this unjust and unconstitutional legislation is shameful – and another slap in the face for the people who have sacrificed so much for us during the pandemic,” Schreiner said in a statement.

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A page of briefing materials obtained by Global News also said nurses were moving away from frontline care settings, which advocates say contributed to widespread burnout.

Attrition is about five percent a year and has not increased, the internal document says. Nurses are not leaving the profession, but leaving front-line positions.

This admission was not a surprise but a disappointment, according to the Ontario Nurses Association.

“I think it’s appalling that they didn’t act on it, that they totally ignored it and did it on purpose,” ONA president Bernie Robinson told AFP. GlobalNews.

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“They did it to break the system.”

The province did not respond to a list of questions sent by Global News about the documents. Instead, the Department of Health provided a general statement.

“According to Statistics Canada, between 2016 and 2021, the number of health care workers in Ontario increased by 86,200, which represents an 18.5% increase in the number of new health care workers in just five years,” reads -on partly in the release.

“Our own numbers tell a similar story. As of 2018, there are over 14,500 nurses and over 1,000 family physicians registered to practice and work in Ontario.

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