Nouvelles

Telegraph-Journal
p. A1, jeudi, 26 février 2009

No answers on health spending, Blaney says

Health critic Margaret-Ann Blaney said Wednesday the authorities are responsible for billions of taxpayers' dollars, but they have not had to account for their spending before the legislature's Crown corporations committee since 2006.

"This is Shawn Graham's mantra - 'We're a transparent government, we're open,' " Blaney said of the Liberal government.

"Well here we have, in total, about $3 billion in taxpayers' money not being accounted for. That's not transparency."

Blaney said she showed up at a recent committee meeting with pages of questions for the Health Department.

But she was quickly told only officials with the regional health authorities could address questions concerning the bulk of health care spending. Those officials have yet to attend a committee meeting.

"We have Crown corporations up this week, and the regional health authorities are not on the roster. They should be," Blaney said in an interview,

"They haven't been before a legislative committee since this government came to power. "

Rick Miles, the Liberal MLA who chairs the Crown corporations committee, blamed scheduling problems for the omission.

"It's an anomaly because of the election," Miles said.

He said the 2006 election forced a lot of committee work to be backdated. He said when the Crown corporations committee was finally ready to hear from the RHAs in 2008, the eight authorities had been dissolved and replaced with two.

"They'll be scheduled this fall to appear before Crown corporations," Miles promised.

It is not the first time the Conservatives have expressed concern about their inability to get key information from the health authorities.

Last year, the Tories presented a motion calling for health authority officials to appear before the Crown corporations committee.

But that motion was defeated in the legislature.

"They (the Liberals) pulled a fast one here. They don't have the answers," Blaney said at the time.

"They don't want to be under the microscope on this."

Blaney said her questions about health authority spending and their yearly deficits are key to determining if the Liberal consolidation was necessary.

The amalgamation took effect last September.

Blaney insists people have no way of judging the truth of Health Minister Mike Murphy's latest claims about the success of the amalgamation.

Murphy says health authority deficits already have been reduced by 20 per cent.

Blaney is not impressed. She wants proof.

"Mike Murphy keeps talking about all of these accrued savings as a result of these changes but how can we examine those changes if we're not given an opportunity to see what was happening before?" she said.

"How can we do a comparative analysis if we don't have an opportunity to ask any questions? Do we just take Mike's word for it? I don't think so."