Quebec asks P.E.I. for nurses, but union says that's 'not going to happen'
Arturo Chang | CBC News | Posted: August 30, 2023 3:01 PM | Last Updated: August 30, 2023
Island can't free up nurses when it's dealing with a crisis of its own, union says
The province of Quebec is asking Prince Edward Island for nurses to support its health-care system, but the union representing Island nurses says that's a tall order, given that P.E.I. is fighting a crisis of its own.
In a letter asking for expressions of interest, Health P.E.I. said Quebec had requested information on whether the Island had the "capability to provide supports in health-care roles."
The province is specifically looking for registered and licensed practical nurses to work there for two-week rotations until mid-October.
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"Understanding that protecting the health of P.E.I.'s population is our top priority, P.E.I. will make efforts to allow interested individuals to respond where capacity allows without jeopardizing P.E.I.'s ability to continue providing care to Islanders," the letter said.
But P.E.I. Nurses Union president Barbara Brookins said it's "not realistic" to assume nurses will be able to go.
"They're looking for critical care and emergency nurses and they are already very rare here on P.E.I. So to think that we could free any of them up — it's not going to happen," she said.
'Everyone is in the same situation'
The union said nurse vacancy rates, which include unfilled positions for both temporary and permanent workers on the Island, went up from 24.4 per cent in May to almost 29 per cent last month.
Brookins said she understands other provinces are also facing a health-care crisis, but pulling from existing resources is not going to solve anything.
"Robbing from Peter to pay Paul or moving from one province to another is not going to fix the overall system. So we have to look at a lot more groundbreaking measures," Brookins said.
"Everyone is in the same situation.... I'm sure we could probably send out the same email, and does that mean Quebec can free up any of their nurses? Not likely."
Brookins said policymakers should be looking into a pan-Canadian strategy to manage human resources in health care, including offering more incentives and easier mobility across the system.
Health P.E.I. said all nurses who take part in the initiative would be doing so on a strictly voluntary basis.