‘Healthcare is a top priority for us’: Sheehan

Sault Ste. Marie Liberal MP Terry Sheehan was back in Ottawa on Monday as Parliament returned to its regular proceedings for the first time in 2023.

Among this week’s discussions unsurprisingly surrounded the state of Canada’s healthcare system as the NDP government once again called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his liberals to condemn healthcare privatization and look towards other solutions.

“Healthcare is traditionally in the provinces and territories purview,” Sheehan says. “However, we see there is a role for the federal government to play in improving healthcare, and the outcomes it has for people.”

Sheehan says one way the Liberal party is looking to improve healthcare is by committing to bringing in more doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals from abroad.

“Recently, before coming to Ottawa, I met with a doctor and some other folks who are interested in not only using internal processes like the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, but also taking a look at the success we’ve had with immigration and newcomers.”

“You look at the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program, which we were successful in becoming a part of. It started in eastern Canada, and then the Sault, along with 13 other communities, would be involved with this program. We’ve doubled what the target was for the area.”

“I’m going to work with this group to try and use immigration to attract doctors and nurses for the many people who don’t have them. We see that as an opportunity; to use our immigration tools to attract those people to continue to work. Some of them are already here, but they need to get accredited.”

“We will work with the provincial government to help them stay in the Sault or attract new people to the Sault to practice medicine. It’s very critical.”

Trudeau will be meeting with Canada’s premiers on Feb. 7 to establish the final details of a new healthcare funding deal in the wake of nationwide staffing shortages and surgery backlogs.

“The premiers want to see more money, and we want to see some standards and accountability in that spending,” Sheehan says. “We want to make sure the money we give them for healthcare goes into healthcare.”

“Some premiers sometimes just want to take the money but don’t want to have that kind of dialogue. I think it’s really taken the leadership of the prime minister working very closely with the premiers to make sure we strengthen healthcare in the Sault, northern Ontario, and Canada.”

Meanwhile, Sheehan says he has met with Mayor Matthew Shoemaker and several local groups to establish a supervised consumption site in the Sault, which would allow people to use drugs in a supervised environment and reduce the chances of overdose.

“Too many people are dying of overdoses in the Sault and surrounding area,” he says. “When you look at the stats of a supervised consumption site, it has saved a lot of lives in Canada.”

Other northern Ontario communities like North Bay, Timmins, and Sudbury have all opened a supervised consumption site or will be opening one soon.

As reported by SooToday’s Kenneth Armstrong in August 2022, there are two main applications to complete when applying for a supervised consumption site — a federal exemption, which allows controlled substances to be brought in to a site, along with a provincial component application.

“The provincial government has an important role to play in this,” Sheehan says. “The province has to support the funding and operations, so that’s what we’re working on. We’ve agreed to continue to chat and work with the mayor and healthcare professionals.”

Regarding the environment, Sheehan says talks remain active in establishing the Sault as a host city for the Canada Water Agency.

The federal agency would focus on ways to keep fresh water safe, clean, and well-managed.

“Our government is committed to establishing the Canada Water Agency and intend to have some updates soon on the agency’s next steps,” he says. “I’ve been meeting with councillor Gardi, the city’s previous and current mayors, and with parliament secretaries and key staff.”

“I’ve shared the submissions with them and have pitched Sault Ste. Marie being part of the Canada Water Agency.”

“A lot of what we’ve done has been submitted. We’ve followed up with presentations and zoom calls with various people. I know people are impressed with our submissions. We’re just waiting to hear the updates which will be shared soon on the agency’s next steps.”