I want to thank all of you for bringing together something that is intriguing me.
I understand the provincial jurisdictions for regulation, etc., and for scope of practice.
As you all know, in the health accord, which is no longer there, there was a piece that talked about an HHR plan, a plan for looking at the whole issue of harmonizing and at scope of practice to ensure that, no matter where you lived in Canada, if you were an RN or a licensed physician or any other health care provider, you would be able to work anywhere in Canada where you were needed. This made a lot of sense because we knew that would happen.
That's not happening. That didn't happen. That was cut off at the knees some time in 2007. So, I think we need to talk about how we get back on track for this, because it's essential. That's my first question.
I also wonder if you can tell me why so many nurses, RNs and LPNs, who are working in the system have only contract work. They cannot get a full contract in which they are working and getting all the necessary benefits, and they keep working on a contract basis, which seems to me to be a ridiculous use of educated people. That's the second question I want to ask.
The third question is about nurse specialists. Given that we're looking at home community care models, how do you see the mix of nurse practitioners, LPNs, RNs, and people working in the acute care system unfolding?
Those are three questions: how the mix, including specialists, is unfolding; how we get into an HHR pan-Canadian strategy now that it's no longer there; and why nurse employment is on a contractual basis only, which I think is a crying shame.