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Alberta introduces bill affecting pay rules for doctors, public-sector workers

Source: www.reddeeradvocate.com - Monday, October 28, 2019
EDMONTON — Alberta is proposing new legislation that could affect where doctors work and how much they get paid as well as allow the government more freedom to bring in replacement workers for union jobs. The amendments are contained in two omnibus bills introduced by Finance Minister Travis Toews. The bill proposes that the government be allowed to cancel its master agreement with the Alberta Medical Association and would give the province power to compel new doctors wanting to bill the health system to work in rural areas. “These changes will help government control growth in program spending, eliminate duplication and make government more efficient,” Toews told the house Monday as he tabled the bill. “We have an obligation to future generations to restore Alberta’s fiscal health, and the proposed legislation is an important step we must take.” Premier Jason Kenney’s United Conservative government introduced a budget last week that reduces spending and promises program and job reviews to get multibillion-dollar budget deficits back in balance by 2023. The government has been relying on a panel report that said Alberta’s doctors are making far more than other provinces and the main barrier to pay reform is the master agreement. The panel, chaired by former Saskatchewan finance minister Janice MacKinnon, said that health spending, which makes up more than 40 per cent of the provincial budget, needs to be reduced. The report also
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