November 10, 2022
O’Leary-Inverness MLA Robert Henderson Today Issued the Following Statement About Extra Vacation for Health PEI Executives:
“The King government has again shown its disdain for PEI frontline health care workers by not treating them equally when it comes to recognizing them for their dedication and hard work during the pandemic.
“The Health Minister today confirmed senior executives at Health PEI received extra vacation time as a thank you, while some of our frontline staff who cared for patients during COVID-19 and have been crucial to supporting our healthcare system over the past three difficult years, received cheap flashlights and lavender seeds.
“This is the same senior leadership who oversaw a workplace described as having a toxic culture with unsupportive management by workers in their exit interviews in the 2021 Garth Waite report examining retention issues among nursing staff who quit.
“I have asked the Minister before today to detail what bonuses were provided to senior management, but he dodged my question as he attempted to do so again today. After pressing him on the matter, he had no other option but to be honest when I specifically asked if they were provided with extra vacation time rather than cash, although it remains to be seen if the vacation time can be cashed in. This from a government that says time and time again it’s the most transparent and accountable government in history.
“Today’s revelation is another slap in the face for the numerous allied health professionals, environmental service workers, nutrition service workers, and others who contributed to the health of Islanders during extraordinary challenging times in the last few years.
“PEI needs implement a sense of fairness and transparency to keep all the healthcare workers we can to ensure we have a strong healthcare system that is responsive to the needs of Islanders.”
Robert Henderson, MLA
O'Leary-Inverness