Finance Committee on Dec. 3rd, 2007

[Kaaren Neufeld]

And it is critical, we believe, that it be reversed, because knowledge—particularly in the health sector—is something that requires continual learning. We will always need investment in that, and we are seeing that it is one of the things that our counterparts in the United States see as a way of attracting health workers to move south, because they are willing to invest in skills enhancement.

[Denise Savoie, NDP, Victoria, BC]

No, absolutely, and you're quite right there has been a reduction in investment in skills training by the private sector, and it's an area of concern. But I'm not quite sure how that would work. So I would pay into EI, and it would come up on my pay slip, and would that money then be credited back to me? Is that what you're suggesting?

[Kaaren Neufeld]

We are suggesting you would get a credit, so that you would not have to pay the full amount on your EI contribution.

[Denise Savoie, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Thank you very much.

I have a question to Ms. Jessen. You talked about the need to complete our national parks system. There's been a suggestion by the government in the last year about creating a national trust. I assume it hasn't been fleshed out more than that. It was an idea that was thrown out. Would you see that as helpful, to have a national body that would be actively working on ensuring that significant ecosystems across Canada are protected as a national trust? I believe there's one in Britain.

[Sabine Jessen]

I have to admit I wasn't aware of that proposal. I guess I would have to say that anything that would help speed up our progress on protecting lands and waters in Canada would be welcome. I'd need to know more details about that trust idea, what that would look like.

[Denise Savoie, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Right. I don't think many details were given. Perhaps Mr. Baird thought of that the night before. It seemed to me an idea worth considering. It's unfortunate it hasn't been fleshed out more.

[Sabine Jessen]

I'm sure our organization would be very happy to discuss that further and look at how to best structure something like that, so that it would be the most effective organization possible.

[Denise Savoie, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Thank you.

Do I have a minute?

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Massimo Pacetti]

You have one minute.

[Denise Savoie, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Okay. This is a quick question on foreign aid, overseas development aid.

Recently our Prime Minister said that it would be difficult, I think was his word, to meet our commitment of 0.7% GDP because our economy was increasing so fast. Isn't that like saying to the rest of the world, “Well, as we're getting richer, we're going to share less”? I wondered if you'd heard that comment and what you thought of that.

[Blaise Salmon]

Yes, I've heard that.

We actually write a lot of letters to the editor, and that makes for a good one, because you can say the reason we're not giving as much is we're getting so rich, basically.

[Denise Savoie, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Yes, it was a perplexing comment.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Massimo Pacetti]

Thank you, Madam Savoie.

Mr. Dykstra, for five minutes.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

I want to pursue, Kaaren, a couple of things that were in the 2007 budget and wonder if you had an opportunity to know about them and comment on them, on their success or if they've maybe started yet this year. One was the close to $9 million as part of the health care transition fund to develop the foundation of a shared understanding of nurse practitioners' roles and facilitate sustained integration into the primary health care services.

[Kaaren Neufeld]

I am familiar with it, and we're very grateful for being able to participate in that program.

We do see the number of nurse practitioners increasing across the country and we see that as a very important step in diversifying the health care team and ensuring that people have access to primary health care within their communities where they work and live. It's an initiative, I think, that has really moved along nurse practitioner education and coordination across this country. It's been very helpful.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Have you noticed which parts of the country have actually picked up on it more than others, or is it more based on need?

[Kaaren Neufeld]

More based on need? Actually, I hear about nurse practitioners moving into practice across this country, from coast to coast to coast. Obviously northern Canada has utilized nurse practitioners for a much longer time, but I am hearing and seeing clinics developing across the country. It's a change in collaborative practice, and it is taking some discussion with our colleagues as to what that role is and how it will benefit them as well as a community, but I do believe it is progressing well.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

All right. The other thing was an initiative that started this year, the NurseONE portal. The amount of money is based on a five-year strategy, but it is starting in 2007-08. I wondered if you wouldn't mind commenting on that as well.

[Kaaren Neufeld]

The nursing portal is something that I think will support our recommendation, in terms of information and communication technology. It is one way we will be able to ensure that nurses across this country have access to best-practice guidelines, to trusted sources of information that they need in order to do practice every day.

It is just getting off the ground, and I know that it is something that FNIHB, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, is very supportive of, because the federal government is a large employer of nurses. Their nurses are often in more remote and rural locations and the portal will be of great help to them, in terms of being able to access a trusted, credible resource.

It will also help nurses in the country to join with colleagues in setting up collaboratives of practice, where not only will we be able to access but we will be able to generate new knowledge. That is a really important key, I think, in moving forward. It is the generation of new knowledge, which is an important part of nurses' work, which the portal will facilitate.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

I am going to pursue a little bit broader questions and comments.

One of the things in the 2007 budget was the switch, if you will. This relates directly to equalization and the payments that the federal government makes to each of the provinces. While we all have our views on that from a political perspective, one of the comments I've seen across the board is that our health care dollars are now being funded on a per capita basis to the provinces. For example, in Ontario, for the first time in the history of equalization payments in the country, they actually have per capita funding regarding health care. I wondered if that was something you had studied as an organization, or had looked at or had any comments on.

[Kaaren Neufeld]

It's not something I would have a comment on right now, but I certainly can take it back to the association.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Okay, thanks a lot.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Massimo Pacetti]

Thank you.

I have a quick question, and then I'll go to another round, and I'll come up at the end.

Ms. Hyde, your lack of funding is a bit troubling. Where does your organization get its funding now?

[Jo Ann Hyde]

Eighty percent comes from grants. We get $20,000 from the provincial Department of Social Services and $8,000 from the Department of Health.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Massimo Pacetti]

Is that provincial or federal?