For Immediate Release
16 January, 2024
Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre), Leader of Newfoundland and Labrador’s NDP says government needs to be more forthcoming and transparent about the state of healthcare. The Liberal government has withheld nursing vacancy recruitment numbers since October. Dinn says this increases the strain on the province’s relationship with registered nurses and is a slap in the face for workers who have remained in the province.
“Premier Furey must realize that his Liberal government’s culture of secrecy is detrimental to our future, healthcare especially,” said Dinn. “It’s arrogant and disrespectful to leave registered nurses to be left waiting for months for an update on recruitment numbers. The government should be working hand in hand with all associations representing healthcare workers to address the workplace issues causing them the draining of valuable workers from our province.”
Dinn says the Liberal government’s focus on recruitment while ignoring retention issues shows Premier Furey is not willing to do the hard work. Dinn’s concern is that newly-recruited healthcare workers will follow their colleagues elsewhere once they experience what it’s like working in a system controlled by the Liberal government. Dinn says it’s no secret other provinces are seizing the opportunity to actively poach healthcare workers from Newfoundland and Labrador.
“Addressing the retention issues driving healthcare workers out of the system would take hard work and collaboration. Unfortunately we have a Premier that very much believes in a top down closed door approach,” said Dinn. “Other provinces see this government’s disrespect for healthcare workers and use that to their advantage. And it seems the Liberal government is unwilling to do the work needed to keep them here.”
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For further information, contact Eddy St. Coeur, Director of Communications, NDP Caucus at 729-2137 (o), or eddystcoeur@gov.nl.ca