NDP says decrease in nurses began before pandemic

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This article was published 15/05/2023 (846 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nearly 300 more nurses worked for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority in 2016 than at the end of 2022 — and the NDP blames cuts by the Progressive Conservative government that began before the pandemic .

In question period Monday, the Opposition shared a freedom of information response from Shared Health that shows the number of nurses employed by WRHA decreased by 292 from 8,014 in December 2016 to 7,722 in December 2022.

“They began their program of cutting the number of nurses working at the bedside many years before the pandemic,” NDP Leader Wab Kinew told the house.

“Unfortunately, it continued through the pandemic,” he said, asking Premier Heather Stefanson to explain why the number of nurses has decreased under the PCs’ watch. The information obtained by the NDP shows the number of nurses working for the WRHA, excluding casual positions, was 7,925 nurses in 2017, 7,829 in 2018, 7,903 in 2019, 7,882 in 2020 and 7,722 in 2021.

Stefanson said her government is intent on bolstering the health care system through recruitment, retention and training.

“We are investing $200 million more to ensure that there’s more health human resources in the province of Manitoba,” she said Monday. “That is including $125 million more specifically for nursing in Manitoba. We’ll continue to make those investments,” said Stefanson, who was appointed health minister by former premier Brian Pallister before she replaced him as PC party leader and premier in 2021.

The New Democrats said the investments come ahead of the fall election that the PCs could lose, according to Probe Research Inc. surveys.

“Here we are, in an election year, that the PCs are promising to change, when their action since taking office has been to cut the number of nurses,” Kinew said.

Nurses are being forced to work mandatory overtime, are run off their feet and are leaving the profession, Kinew said. “The premier should be accountable.”

Stefanson said the pandemic resulted in a “significant challenge” for staffing right across Canada.

As a result of the Tories’ health human resource action plan, which was announced in November, Manitoba has added 259 nurses, the premier said.

“We’re taking action and we’re getting results,” Stefanson said.

Her health minister, Audrey Gordon, has said in the house that the inaugural summer intake of nurses began earlier this month at the University of Manitoba with 120 nursing students registered.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca