Partial Transcript of Hearings on Bill 10For those who are interested in skimming the hearings on Bill 10, hear is an exerpt from the private agencies side (the transcript goes on much much longer which you can see at https://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/travaux-parlementaires/commissions/csss-43-1/journal-debats/CSSS-230314.html)
(Later on he is questioned about charging high hourly rates and other related issues, but it far too long to post here.)
The President (Mr Provenal) : We are resuming our work. I would now like to welcome the Association of Private Healthcare Personnel Companies of Quebec. So, Mr. Patrice Lapointe, so I'm going to invite you to make your presentation, 10 minutes, then we'll have our discussions. So, I give you the floor immediately.
Mr. Lapointe (Patrice): Very well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you to all of you for inviting me to appear before you today. We are very happy to finally have the opportunity to present our point of view to you within the framework of the study of the bill. I act today as president of the Association of Private Companies of Caregivers of Quebec, but I am also here as a taxpayer and a father concerned about what I currently see within the network of health.
Over the past 50 years, care placement agencies have performed vital functions in maintaining care. In particular, they have made it possible to improve access to first-line care for all patients in Quebec, home care, the COVID vaccination effort in businesses, pharmacies and even within the health network, access to care in buffer zones to isolate patients with COVID-19, what are called non-traditional sites, for example, the presence of nurses in companies, in our schools, and so on. In short, for more than 50 years, our companies have been working with the health network to meet very specific needs. As the aging of the population increases, as does the demand for care for it, We are convinced that the solution to the problems targeted by the government does not lie in a scorched earth approach but in recognizing the complementary role of employment agencies, a historic and essential role, as well as the establishment of a sustainable collaborative approach. We must not shave everything, we must collaborate and harmonize more.
Although the use of private healthcare has long been controversial, the pandemic has heightened our relevance and changed public opinion. According to a Lger poll, the vast majority of Quebecers are in favor of the idea of increasing recourse to the private sector to provide quality health care to the population. Moreover, several commitments made by the Government of Quebec clearly demonstrate its desire to focus on public-private collaboration to improve our infrastructures or even address urgent issues. Furthermore, we are aware that there are several real problems that could be solved by a more constant application of tendering contracts as well as greater collaboration between the agencies and the health network. For us,
In the brief that we submitted to the commission, we also propose a series of recommendations, for example the establishment of a supplier accredited by the Government of Quebec, enhancing the transparency of public contracts awarded to agencies so that the information is easily accessible to the public, provide pre-established targets for hours to be granted annually to independent labor agencies between 3% and 5%, for example, in order to concentrate efforts where the needs are most urgent , i.e. remote areas, adverse quarters, home care, etc. As you can see, we are ready to discuss, to make constructive proposals, to do what is necessary to improve the health network and, ultimately,
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While Quebec is in the midst of a labor crisis, this is certainly not the time to deprive the health network of nearly 11,000 workers who have chosen our agencies. In fact, according to a survey conducted between February 6 and 13 of more than 2,000 of our employees, 80% of them will not return to the public network if the agencies are abolished. Healthcare professionals have chosen our organizations for a multitude of reasons that are as diverse as they are legitimate. We can talk about a semi-retired person who can offer one or two shifts a week to the health network. Or a single parent who can work 16 hours a day one week but only a few hours a day the following week. A person who teaches nursing who can offer a few shifts of availability per week during the school year but work more intensively during the summer. Or a migrant who has responsibilities towards his family who remained outside the country and who must be absent on a regular basis to visit them. All situations that could not be possible in the public network. In the current context, do we really have the luxury of going without these...what these people have to offer to the network? To ask the question, is to answer it. outside the country and who must be absent on a regular basis to visit them. All situations that could not be possible in the public network. In the current context, do we really have the luxury of going without these...what these people have to offer to the network? To ask the question, is to answer it. outside the country and who must be absent on a regular basis to visit them. All situations that could not be possible in the public network. In the current context, do we really have the luxury of going without these...what these people have to offer to the network? To ask the question, is to answer it.
More than ever, Quebecers need everyone who can contribute to the network, to be able to do so, even if they make their contribution through a different employment vehicle. I therefore reiterate once again the will of our association to work together with the government to determine the best ways to contribute to strengthening the first line of care, by including employment agencies as a strategic partner that is part of a of available solutions.
I would also like to address a few important questions regarding certain information conveyed about our organizations. While some claim that our businesses are causing a labor problem, the numbers tell us otherwise. Indeed, 70% of our personnel would have effectively reoriented their career in another field rather than remaining in the health network, had it not been for the agencies. This data, taken from the results of our internal survey, perfectly illustrates the role of staff retention currently played by our organizations. We have never sought or served to replace existing staff within the network.
Note also the exceptional nature of the last two pandemic years when the Red Cross and the Canadian army had to be called in to support the health network. We too were hard at work in this critical context. Another argument that we have often heard is the strong predominance of agencies in the network. Contrary to popular belief, ministry statistics show that the hours filled by the agencies on an annual basis represent only 3 to 4% of the total hours worked in the health network. Moreover, the economic study carried out by Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, which you can find in the appendix to our brief, shows... we can clearly see that the percentage of hours worked has remained stable,
Moreover, the use of agencies does not necessarily cost the network more. Our contribution is nevertheless crucial to guarantee the continuity of services, particularly in remote areas, as well as to minimize compulsory overtime and the psychological distress of network workers.
In closing, another contributing factor to the price increases we have witnessed is that of hypercentralization. The creation of the Government Acquisition Center in 2020 pursued the entirely laudable objective of optimizing the management of purchases made by the various departments, while ensuring compliance with the applicable contractual rules. Unfortunately, this major centralization exercise resulted in the loss of valuable expertise built up locally in the network, to the detriment of detailed knowledge of the real needs of health establishments, particularly in the different regions of Quebec. This issue was recently illustrated by the publication of a public call for tenders ignoring regional realities,
In conclusion, while a glaring labor shortage is shaking the health sector, our association is unable to explain why the government is choosing to turn its back on 11,000 qualified resources who are currently lending a hand health network by providing care to Quebecers. However, the results of the recent survey to which more than 2,000 employees of members of the association responded clearly demonstrate that abolishing the use of agencies will in no way guarantee the return of personnel to the network and even risks permanently depriving it of professionals who , for lack of an alternative, will redirect their careers. Quotes as striking as "I would rather work at McDonald's than go back to public life" have
Several actors have even recognized that the manpower problems attributed to the agencies are rather symptomatic of the failings of the organizational culture of the health network, which cannot be reformed overnight despite all the goodwill in the world. The government can develop, in collaboration with our association, measures governing the activities of employment agencies, but it is very likely that an almost total ban, such as that provided for in Bill 10, will have harmful effects for patients in the health network. Thus, we are reaching out to the government and proposing concrete solutions that will make it possible to put in place the guidelines necessary to ensure the continuity of our historic collaboration in order to improve the access to first-line care everywhere in Quebec. I am now ready to answer your questions.