Yukon Party says gov't should capitalize on 'chaos' to recruit U.S. health-care workers
It believes many doctors and nurses are ripe for the picking due to the volatility of the Trump administration.
After raising the issue last Thursday, the Yukon Party once again pressed the government during Monday's question period to commit to headhunting American physicians.
The party says there are steps the government can take to seize the moment. The first would include launching a marketing campaign aimed at getting American workers to relocate to the Yukon.
Yukon Party health critic Brad Cathers said the government should also allow board-certified doctors, surgeons and specialists to practise in the Yukon and speed up licensing of American-trained nurses.
"We do think there's a specific opportunity to target a marketing campaign to U.S.-trained doctors and other health professionals to reach them where they're living — in the United States — to paint the picture for them of what life could be like in the Yukon," Cathers said.
"And frankly, to take advantage of the chaos south of the border."
Cathers called the shortage of family doctors in the Yukon a "crisis," made worse by four physicians closing their practices and the departure of one surgeon within the last 18 months. He also said there were 153 locums who worked in the Yukon last year, but none decided to stay.
On that last point, those doctors already had jobs elsewhere, said Tracy-Anne McPhee, the territory's health minister. She said locums do not relocate to the Yukon after a single stint.
While the government is not specifically targeting American health-care workers, McPhee said it is working to recruit them from all over the world.
She pointed to the money the government has spent on recruitment and retention as a sign of how seriously the government takes the challenge of filling the shortage of these workers.
McPhee said in each of the last three years, an additional $2 million was allocated to "enhance" recruitment and retention. That would be in addition to other measures such as funding a recruiter position for the Yukon Medical Association.
"Recruiting physicians is one of our top priorities. Health care for Yukoners is absolutely a top priority. You can see that from the budget allocations of this year," she said.
However, Cathers said the Yukon's health-care system remains "not very welcoming," and called on the government to work with the Yukon Medical Association to reduce the administrative burden doctors have to deal with.
"I think it's fair to say that virtually every single Yukoner would say the government needs to be doing more to recruit and retain doctors," Cathers said.
The government released its Health Human Resources Strategy in 2023, a plan for tackling the shortage of health-care workers. Some of its initiatives aim to improve workplace culture, streamline the integration of new workers and to create more training opportunities in the Yukon.
McPhee said it came after consulting more than 600 frontline workers.
"We brought every decision-maker in health care we could find in the territory to the table ... to make sure that we could challenge ourselves to determine what the issues are and what are the solutions that we're going to bring forward," she said.
The government announced on Monday that it will soon begin negotiations with the Yukon Medical Association for a new memorandum of understanding. Key issues are expected to include improving access to services, any legislative changes that are needed as well as compensation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Mexico says 26 capos extradited to US were requested by Trump administration
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico sent 26 alleged cartel figures to face justice in the United States because the Trump administration requested them and Mexico did not want them to continue running their illicit businesses from Mexican prisons, officials said Wednesday. The mass transfer was not, however, part of wider negotiations as Mexico seeks to avoid higher tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump, they said. 'These transfers are not only a strategic measure to ensure public safety, but also reflect a firm determination to prevent these criminals from continuing to operate from within prisons and to break up their networks of influence,' Mexican Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said in a news conference on Wednesday. The 26 prisoners handed over to American authorities on Tuesday included figures aligned with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel among others. They were wanted by American authorities for their roles in drug trafficking and other crimes. It comes months after 29 other cartel leaders were sent to the U.S. in February. In the exchange, the U.S. Justice Department promised it would not seek the death penalty against any of the 55 people included in the two transfers, which experts say may help avoid any violent outburst by the cartels in response. Authorities said the operation involved nearly a thousand law enforcement officers, 90 vehicles and a dozen military aircraft. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said earlier Wednesday that the transfers were 'sovereign decisions,' but the move comes as the Mexican leader faces mounting pressure by the Trump administration to crack down on cartels and fentanyl production. García Harfuch also confirmed Wednesday that a U.S. government drone — non-military — was flying over central Mexico, but at the request of Mexican authorities as part of an ongoing investigation. So far, Sheinbaum has tried to show the Trump administration a greater willingness to pursue the cartels than her predecessor — a change that has been acknowledged by U.S. officials — and continued to slow migration to the U.S. border, in an effort to avoid the worst of Trump's tariff threats. Two weeks ago, the two leaders spoke and agreed to give their teams another 90 days to negotiate to avoid threatened 30% tariffs on imports from Mexico. 'Little by little, Mexico is following through with this demand by the Americans to deliver drug capos,' said Mexican security analyst David Saucedo. 'It's buying (the Mexican government) time.' Saucedo said the Mexican government has been able to avoid a burst of violence by cartels – a reaction often seen when capos are captured – in part, because Ovidio Guzmán, a son of infamous capo Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, showed it's possible to negotiate with U.S. prosecutors. Ovidio Guzmán pleaded guilty last month to drug trafficking and other charges and hopes for a lighter sentence in exchange for his cooperation. But Saucedo warned that if such mass prisoner transfers continue, the Latin American country is bound to see another outburst of violence in the future.
Global News
4 hours ago
- Global News
U.S. human rights reports criticize NATO allies, minimize some abuses
The Trump administration on Tuesday released human rights reports for countries worldwide that eliminate mentions of discrimination faced by LGBTQ2 people, reduce a previous focus on reproductive rights and criticize restrictions on political speech by U.S. allies in Europe that American officials believe target right-wing politicians. The reports, which cover 2024 before President Donald Trump took office, reflect his administration's focus on free speech and restricting access to abortion. However, the reports also offer a glimpse into the administration's view of dire human rights conditions in some countries that have agreed to accept migrants deported from the United States under Trump's immigration crackdown. 'This year's reports were streamlined for better utility and accessibility in the field and by partners,' the U.S. State Department said. The congressionally mandated reports in the past have been frequently used for reference and cited by lawmakers, policymakers, academic researchers and others investigating potential asylum claims or looking into conditions in specific countries. Story continues below advertisement The reports had been due to be released in March. The State Department said in an overview that the delay occurred because the Trump administration decided in March to 'adjust' the reports, which had been compiled during the Biden administration. Among other deletions, the reports do not include accounts from individual abuse survivors or witnesses. 'Frequently, eyewitnesses are intimidated or prevented from reporting what they know,' the overview said. 'On the other hand, individuals and groups opposed to a government may have incentive to exaggerate or fabricate abuses. In similar fashion, some governments may distort or exaggerate abuses attributed to opposition groups.' Human rights groups decried the changes in focus and omissions of certain categories of discrimination and potential abuse. 'With the release of the U.S. State Department's human rights report, it is clear that the Trump Administration has engaged in a very selective documentation of human rights abuses in certain countries,' Amnesty International said in a statement. 'In addition to eliminating entire sections for certain countries – for example discrimination against LGBTQ+ people – there are also arbitrary omissions within existing sections of the report based on the country,' it said. The reports do follow previous practices in criticizing widespread human rights abuses in China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. Story continues below advertisement 2:49 Trump warns 'severe consequences' if Putin doesn't end war in Ukraine The report on Russia, as well as a separate one on Russia-occupied areas of Ukraine, go much further in documenting its abuses in Ukraine — including acknowledging accusations of war crimes — than Trump or U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have done in public. It says Moscow 'did not take credible steps or action to identify and punish most officials who committed human rights abuses.' The Ukraine report admonishes the Ukrainian government of curtailing freedoms of the press and expression, though it notes many of the measures are due to martial law imposed during wartime. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The report's section on Israel was much shorter than last year's edition and contained no mention of the severe humanitarian crisis or death toll in Gaza. What does it say about NATO allies? The reports take issue with what the Trump administration believes are restrictions on free speech imposed against generally right-wing voices in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Story continues below advertisement The reports use identical language to say that human rights conditions in each of the three NATO allies 'worsened during the year.' The executive summaries for each of the three reports say 'significant human rights issues included credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression, including enforcement of or threat of criminal or civil laws in order to limit expression; and crimes, violence, or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism.' These governments have rejected such assertions that have been made by senior U.S. officials, including Trump, Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. The report on Canada is less critical and acknowledges no change in U.S. assessments of its human rights conditions. However, it repeats language alleging 'credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression' and accuses the federal government of limiting press freedom. A mention of ongoing trials related to the 2022 'Freedom Convoy' protests says they protested against 'draconian lockdown measures that substantially damaged the communities and economic livelihoods of many Canadians.' Last year's report, the final one issued by the Biden administration, said the Canadian government 'did not restrict or disrupt access to the internet or censor online content' and allowed independent media to 'express a wide variety of views without restriction.' Past reports have taken particular issue with violence and threats against minority groups, including Indigenous and LGBTQ2 people. Story continues below advertisement What about El Salvador? Although such deportations did not begin until after Trump took office, the reports, with one notable exception, detail general poor human rights conditions in many of the countries that have agreed to accept migrants, even if they are not citizens of that nation. The exception is El Salvador, which was the first of several countries in Latin America and Africa to agree to accept non-citizen migrant deportees from the U.S. Despite claims from rights advocates to the contrary, the report about the country says 'there were no credible reports of significant human rights abuses' in El Salvador in 2024 and that 'the government took credible steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.' Human rights groups have accused authorities of abuses, including at a notorious prison where many migrants are sent. Story continues below advertisement 1:12 'I thought they would kill us': Venezuelan migrant details alleged abuse in El Salvador prison However, for Eswatini — a small country in Africa formerly known as Swaziland — South Sudan and Rwanda, the reports paint a grimmer picture. All have agreed to accept third-country deportees from the United States. In all three countries, the reports noted 'significant human rights issues included credible reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings, torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment … serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, prohibiting independent trade unions or significant or systematic restrictions on workers' freedom of association.' Those governments 'did not take credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses,' the reports said. Singling out the treatment of white South Africans South Africa was also singled out for its human rights situation 'significantly worsening.' Story continues below advertisement The report pointed to unfair treatment of white Afrikaners following the signing of major land reforms that the Trump administration has said discriminate against that minority, which ran the country's apartheid government. That system brutally enforced racial segregation, which oppressed the Black majority, for 50 years before ending in 1994. With the signing of that law in December, the report said that 'South Africa took a substantially worrying step towards land expropriation of Afrikaners and further abuses against racial minorities in the country.' It also said the government 'did not take credible steps to investigate, prosecute and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, including inflammatory racial rhetoric against Afrikaners and other racial minorities, or violence against racial minorities.' This year, the administration admitted as refugees some groups of white Afrikaners. The South African government on Wednesday dismissed the report as 'inaccurate and deeply flawed.' 2:05 Trump confronts South African president with white farmer 'genocide' claims What the report says about Brazil Freedom-of-speech issues were also raised in Brazil, which has more recently provoked Trump's ire by prosecuting his ally — former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro — and led to the imposition of massive U.S. tariffs and sanctions against Brazil's Supreme Court chief justice. Story continues below advertisement 'The human rights situation in Brazil declined during the year,' the report said. 'The courts took broad and disproportionate action to undermine freedom of speech and internet freedom by blocking millions of users' access to information on a major social media platform in response to a case of harassment.' It added that the government 'undermined democratic debate by restricting access to online content deemed to undermine democracy' and specifically mentioned suppressing the speech of Bolsonaro and his supporters. —With additional files from Global News and Reuters
Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump and Putin will meet at an Alaska military base long used to counter Russia
WASHINGTON (AP) — In an ironic twist, President Donald Trump is set to discuss the war in Ukraine with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at a military base in Alaska that was crucial to countering the Soviet Union during the height of Cold War and still plays a role today. The meeting is scheduled to take place Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson outside Anchorage, according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning. The base created by merging Elmendorf Air Force Base and Army Fort Richardson in 2010 has played a key strategic role in monitoring and deterring the Soviet Union during much of the Cold War. Throughout its long history, the base hosted large numbers of aircraft and oversaw operations of a variety of early warning radar sites that were aimed at detecting Soviet military activity and any possible nuclear launches. It earned the motto 'Top Cover for North America' at this time, according to the base website. While much of the military hardware has since been deactivated, the base still hosts key aircraft squadrons, including the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet. Planes from the base also still intercept Russian aircraft that regularly fly into U.S. airspace. The irony of Putin visiting an American military base that long has — and still does — aimed to counter Russian threats comes as Trump works to reach a ceasefire deal in a war that he promised during the 2024 campaign to end quickly. Officials from Ukraine and Europe fear that the one-on-one meeting they will not take part in could lead to an outcome that favors Russian goals. French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump was 'very clear' that the United States wants to achieve a ceasefire at the summit. Macron spoke after a virtual meeting between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders. Trump has said any major agreement could involve land swaps and that Zelenskyy and Putin could meet next or he could meet with the two leaders.
