| Oct 2009 | ||
| MLA Legislature Report Alana DeLong, MLA
Advisory Committee to Focus on Improving Patient Care and Health System Performance: An advisory committee has been appointed to ensure appropriate legislation is in place to allow for improved health system performance and patient care. The Minister’s Advisory Committee on Health will look at strengthening legislation to support improvements to Alberta’s publicly funded health care system. The committee will provide advice on a number of areas related to health legislation that will focus on ways of broadening patient access to health services, promoting wellness and ensuring the health system can respond to emerging issues such as advances in medical technology on a timely basis. The committee will be co-chaired by Fred Horne, MLA for Edmonton-Rutherford and Deborah Prowse, a patient safety advocate. The committee begins work immediately and will seek input from health sector stakeholders and the public over the next two months. The committee will provide advice to the Minister by mid-November. Economic Situation for Alberta: I would like to share with you an article that was recently published by the Calgary Herald from the Hon. Iris Evans. “It frustrates me to read editorials such as that published in the August 27 edition of the Herald (“Recession meets lack of preparation”) not because it criticizes our government but because that criticism is without base. To suggest that this government did not prepare for the reversal of fortune the province has experienced in the past year and to compare the financial situation we’re in today to that of the 1980s shows complete ignorance of the facts. When energy prices collapsed in the mid-1980s, Alberta became mired in debt as it struggled to offset losses in oil and gas revenues. That is not the case today. Thanks to the planning and actions of government in the past 15 years, we are in a better position than anywhere else in Canada to ride out this recession. We knew very well that there would come a day when energy prices would collapse again, and so we prepared ourselves. We paid down an accumulated debt of $23 billion, we boosted our savings in the Heritage Fund and endowments by $8 billion, and we set aside $17 billion in a rainy day savings account called the Sustainability Fund for that inevitable day when our volatile revenues would fall again. And so, while other governments have to go deeper into debt to cover their deficits during these difficult times, Alberta has its own savings to draw on instead – savings that have been set aside specifically for the purpose of protecting us from falling revenues. In short, this government did prepare for what has happened. And we did it even while keeping taxes lower than in any other province and increasing our spending to accommodate massive population growth no other province has had to contend with.” Best wishes to all my constituents as we celebrate this joyous time of thanksgiving with family and family. A special thanks all my constituents who have taken the time to call, write and meet with me over the past several years. Your many well thought out comments and advice has been of immeasurable value to our Government and to all the people of Alberta. As always , my staff and I are available to answer any questions and/or concerns that you may have. Public Consultations Please visit http://www.gov.ab.ca/home/Index.cfm?Page=625
and provide your input to matters that affect Albertans.
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