The sign for the Legislative Assembly at the Jim Smith building. Photo Courtesy of Macklen Linke/CKRW.
Whitehorse, YT – The passing of the Health Authority Act in the legislature yesterday marks a big step towards addressing challenges in healthcare which the Yukon Government said came about with little help from the opposition but the Yukon Party fired back calling the process leading to the passage ‘chaotic.’
The act aims to create a framework for a modern and culturally responsive health authority that helps address barriers in health care while also covering key areas such as inclusive governance and equitable care.
The Yukon Government views the act as an important step in addressing systemic racism in healthcare following collaborative work done with the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN), the Chiefs Committee on Health (CCOH) and the Health Transformation Advisory Committee (HTAC).
On Thursday, the Yukon Party did not consent to a vote on the bill. At the same time, Vuntut Gwitchin Chief Pauline Frost, Ta’an Kwäch’än Chief Amanda Leas and Stephen Mills, co-chair of the Health Transformation Advisory Committee attended the Legislature and expressed disappointment following the outcome. They couldn’t witness the passage yesterday due to meetings in Ottawa.
Cabinet Communications took shots at the opposition, saying they were obstructing progress and hindering efforts to address systemic racism in healthcare.
Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon says nothing was hindered and that their choice to turn down a vote on Thursday was part of normal procedure, stating that when a tabled bill is reprinted it needs to sit on the floor for one day, to allow for review. He added that the whole process leading up to that point was hectic.
“It’s been a chaotic progression through the legislature. We’ve seen multiple amendments, we’ve seen rarely used sections of the standing orders to stop over sections we’ve seen, stops and starts the likes of which we’ve never seen before in the legislature,” said Dixon. “The way this bill went through the House was chaotic and the timing of it is entirely under the control of the liberals.”
Over nine months of working on the bill, the opposition adds that there was little consultation done at the hands of the Government with key healthcare stakeholders including unions and Yukon communities.
“There was no consultation with affected health stakeholders and that means that nobody has had any input into this bill, other than those on the Health Transformation Advisory Committee, which is important,” said Dixon. “We’re glad to see the First Nations play a role in that but we cannot exclude all the other stakeholders and think that’s okay.”
Recently, the Yukon Government signed a memorandum of understanding with unions to provide stability during a transition with the Yukon Party saying that was due to amendments they made to the act on April 16th.
The Yukon Party voted no to the bill yesterday for what they say was a chaotic process, lack of consultation and lack of detail.
The Yukon Government and Yukon NDP are celebrating the passage as a big step forward for Yukon healthcare.
