Healthcare remains province’s biggest priority, says Petten

By Mark Squibb

Opposition Health Critic and Conception Bay South MHA Barry Petten says addressing concerns with the province’s healthcare system needs to be government’s top priority in 2025.

“We talk about cost of living and housing and affordability and seniors’ issues, and they’re all very, very important, but to me, healthcare dominates the conversation,” said Petten. “It’s been an issue for many years now and it’s not getting any better.”

Petten, who said not a day goes by that he doesn’t hear about problems in the healthcare system, noted that recent statistics suggest Newfoundland and Labrador pays more per capita for healthcare than any other province.

“People are losing faith,” said Petten. “This government has been in power now for a long time, about 10 years. And healthcare has never been so bad, and we’ve never spent so much money on it. So, go figure.”

The member has made headlines raising concerns over ambulance response times and government’s ‘fit to sit’ policy, which sees patients who arrive by ambulance waiting for medical care, but said the family doctor shortage is the number one issue plaguing the system.

Petten wonders how many people have avoided going to emergency rooms to avoid waiting for hours and have suffered for it.

“I hear it all the time, ‘I’m not going out to the emergency room and waiting for a day,’” said Petten. “It’s a sad state of affairs.”

He said government needs to recruit doctors-to-be while they are still studying rather than trying to recruit them once they’ve already left the province for greener pastures. To that end he suggested government could pay to cover a portion of education costs once a doctor-in-training has committed to staying within the province for a certain number of years.

Petten said government also needs to sit down and speak with residents about their healthcare concerns.

“We hear too many stories of government ‘doing first and asking later,’” said Petten. “It needs to be the other way around.”

Another big issue on Petten’s mind as the business of government ticks through a new year is the new Churchill Falls deal with Quebec.

Members of the PC Party abstained from voting on the memorandum of understanding this past January, choosing instead to walk out of the House of Assembly.

Petten defended that move.

“We abstained from the vote, and you’re not permitted to stay in the House unless you vote yes or no, so we had to physically leave the House, as much as I didn’t like that option,” said Petten. “So, we had no choice. We had to physically remove ourselves form the House to abstain… We abstained for a reason. We couldn’t support it, and we couldn’t vote against it, because we didn’t feel that the proper analysis was done.”

The Party has been critical of the Liberal government’s decision to appoint consumer advocate Dennis Browne as chair of an oversight panel, citing Browne’s ties to the Liberal party, and have called for Justice Richard LeBlanc to be appointed to provide oversight.

Petten made reference to Hydro-Quebec vice-president Dave Rheaume being quoted in the Quebec media as saying the deal is similar to the 1969 deal.

“When I hear ‘same deal as ’69,’ I’m concerned, and every Newfoundlander and Labradorian should be concerned, because we cannot have a repeat of ’69,” said Petten. “So, that’s why we abstained. I have zero regrets. In my opinion it was a courageous decision.”

And while the provincial election, at the time of writing, has not yet been called, folks have been anticipating an election call any day now since December. Petten has already committed to running again in the 2025 election, and said it is an honour to represent his community.

“Everything I do is to help my hometown,” said Petten. “How many people can say that about their jobs?”

He said the PC Party is prepared for the writ to dropped — whenever that may be.

Petten said replacement of Frank Roberts Junior High School and the establishment of a health care facility in CBS remains a top priority for him.

Conception Bay South MHA Barry Petten says he doesn’t know when the election will be called, but he and his fellow Progressive Conservatives will be ready to challenge the governing Liberals.