Burrill: Liberals' review falls short of a public inquiry

HALIFAX - NDP Leader Gary Burrill made the following statement in response to the government's announcement of a review in long-term care:

“Today’s announcement falls short of what families who lost loved ones at Northwood have been calling for. A full, transparent public inquiry into shared rooms and staffing in long-term care is critical if we are to learn from this preventable tragedy. A speedy review without access to full findings and root causes does not do justice to the level of information that families deserve.

The problems in long-term care have been known for some time. It was clear before the pandemic that a lack of adequate investment was undermining the quality of care. Every resident of a long-term care facility needs to have their own room, and we need to have enough staff to care for residents at the standard we expect. The Liberals could start on this today.

The Liberals have not said what resources they will allocate to any recommendations from the review, and have only committed to sharing recommendations, not findings. Their plan for a separate internal review of long-term care does not address the call for a public conversation about the gaps that made our system vulnerable and how to address them.”

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