MLA Rice highlights new role for Rural Health in Legislature comments

North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice offers up a short preview of her plans for her new duties with the government of Premier David Eby,  making use of the Wednesday afternoon session of the Legislature to note of her focus on rural health.

In January, the MLA was shifted to new duties as Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health and her comments Wednesday which were limited owing to a lingering voice issue, were among the first she has made on the post since it was announced. 

In her Legislature commentary, which was the last presentation of the day in the Chamber, the MLA shared her understanding towards the issues of rural health, as well as to answer some concerns that she hasn't had much to say about her post since it was announced.

"I just wanted to take this opportunity, because I was recently appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health, and I've certainly heard from some of the stakeholders and some folks from the opposition that they haven't heard much from me. 

But I just wanted to let people know that when I have more of a voice, I'm happy to have much more constructive conversations about the work that I intend to undertake or that I've already started doing. 

I just wanted to say this, mostly for my constituents — my rural remote and my rural Indigenous communities. 

That having lived 20-some years rurally and having been the MLA for rural remote and Indigenous communities for the last nine years, I have certainly heard about the struggles for accessing equitable, safe, accessible health care in the north and in Haida Gwaii and down the Central Coast. That's the area of my riding.  And we've certainly heard a lot of other rural remote and rural Indigenous communities expressing their angst. 

And so I was really delighted that the Premier appointed me the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health so that I actually could complement and support our current Minister of Health in that work, applying the rural lens that I unquestionably have, based on my geography and where I live. 

I want you to know that I'm keen. I hear you. I live rural. I hear you rural. I'm motivated for rural, and I've been tasked with three areas to look at, which is access, travel, when it comes to accessing medical appointments, to look at rural maternity obstetrical care. 

We've seen a centralization of health care that makes that harder to birth at home. 

And I actually get to help support the minister in regard to a health human resource strategy. So these are my areas of focus for right now. 

I'm super excited about them. I'm happy to work with the opposition — not a problem. Let me get my voice back. I just wanted to make that introduction to my role. I didn't mean to appear silent. I'm keen."

The task list seems rather limited at the three areas of note from her presentation, those of travel, accessing medical appointments and rural maternity obstetrical care n Health Care Human Resources.  

Which would seem to leave a wide range of rural health care issues that also need some advocacy towards and hopefully gain some attention towards as well.

More on some of those Health care challenges in the northwest can be reviewed through our archive page here.

The full transcript of her comments to the Legislature can be reviewed from the Minutes, Ms. Rice spoke at 6:41 PM  

The video of the presentation is available here at the same time mark.

A wider overview of Ms. Rice's work and that of other MLA's from the northwest can be reviewed here.