Why does the NDP not support a registry for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders?

There is an old maxim about the difficulty of changing what you can't measure. Though Manitoba's NDP have talked about preventing Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), they have consistently rebuffed attempts to screeen for this condition and document the incidence of FASD in Manitoba. Without knowing the incidence, it is virtually impossible to know whether preventive measures are having any effect. In 2002, when I asked Tim Sale in the legislature he replied "the definition and diagnosis of FAS in infants is extremely problematic" and "the issue of numbers is a very, very difficult issue". In 2004, when I asked Jim Rondeau why his NDP government was not supporting the registry for FAS, he said they weren't interested in "counting the numbers." Today, at the Canada Northwest FASD Research Network, the discussions I had with participants made it very clear that screening is possible, though it may need assessment at birth and then at 6-12 months of age. Moreover, evidence is mounting that early diagnosis can make a big difference to the subsequent development of these children. In my mind there is no question this is such a big health issue in Manitoba that we need to be screening children early to give them the best possible chance. If you want to learn more, see our report on the health of manitoba children at www.manitobaliberals.ca. If you have comments, please send me an email at jgerrard@leg.gov.mb.ca

Speaking of Grandmothers - Sharon Carstairs did

Thursday this week, at the luncheon featuring inspiring women, Sharon Carstairs talked about her grandmother. She had 18 children. The youngest was Sharon’s mother. Determined that her children would have better opportunity than she had, Sharon’s grandmother left her husband behind in Cape Breton and moved, with her 12 living children to Boston. After a year, now convinced that she was not coming back, she was joined by her husband. It was to this grandmother that Sharon attributed some of her own ability to forge ahead against long odds. But it was her mother, born nine mothers after her grandfather arrived in Boston, that Sharon thanked for her career in teaching and politics. Her mother insisted she get a professional degree before she got married. Sharon did. Her Masters in Education opened the doors into the world of teaching, and that led in due course into politics. The rest is history.

The photo shows Sharon Carstairs with Bev McCaffrey at the luncheon.

Herceptin and breast cancer - Manitoba's NDP are failing women

Earlier this year two large randomized clinical trials were concluded early when it was discovered that patients in the trials who received Herceptin in combination with standard chemotherapy had a 52 percent decrease in disease recurrence compared to patients treated with chemotherapy alone. This is a big difference. The difference is so big that the NDP government in Manitoba should have had no hesitation in moving to provide herceptin for patients in our province. Instead the inaction of the NDP is denying many women in Manitoba the care they should have access to.

There is a cost to providing herception. But there is also a large cost to not providing it. The cost to not providing it includes the costs in lives lost, the cost of the use of less effective therapies (the costs of doctors visits, extra tests, extra treatments when the cancer recurs on treatment without herceptin). The costs of not providing herceptin will all add up to major costs. Too often in the past the NDP actions or inactions have resulted in increased costs down the road because of failure to act quickly then the opportunity arises. When there is a major improvement in care which can benefit many Manitoba women, our health care system should move quickly to provide it. It is all part of the effort we need to make to improve the health of Manitobans. Yesterday, I sent out a press release yesterday which is on our web site - www.manitobaliberals.ca If you would like to help in my efforts to ensure women in Manitoba get good medical care, please email to me at jgerrard@leg.gov.mb.ca

Dorothy Faris and the Children's Hospital

Yesterday I was at Safeway at the corner of Osborne and Kylemore where the efforts of workers at Safeway and members of the Annie A. Bond Guild of the Children's Hospital were recognized for their efforts. Together they have raised more than $7,000 to help support care for children and the research to improve that care. The first photo shows the check presentation. In the second photo, I am with Dorothy Faris, president of Annie A. Bond Guild. Dorothy is an amazing person. She was one of the founding members of the Children's Hospital Book Market, and has been President of the Annie A. Bond Guild for many years. In 1986, she received the Teddy Award for all her efforts on behalf of children in Manitoba.

Grand Rapids

In the very centre of our province is Grand Rapids, the site of the first major northern hydro-electric dam. Today I visited the community to talk with councillors of the Grand Rapids First Nation and with the mayor and councillors of the Town of Grand Rapids. There are quite a number of legitimate outstanding grievances. The NDP, in six years, have failed to pay close attention to this community. There is much work needed here to improve the situation.

In the photos above Rhonda Gordon and I are visiting with councillor Ron Bannatyne and with Don and Denise Packo at the Grand Rapids spillway site where members of the town and the First Nation are camped. In June, water going through the spillway moved a lot of debris into the lake and caused problems with the nets (many were lost) and resulted in poor fishing. There was no compensation. When Manitoba Hydro said, on short notice, it was going to open the spillway again this fall, the protest started.

One of the problems in Grand Rapids is that a luxurious residence for Hydro workers who come to Grand Rapids from outside the community stands in stark contrast to the spartan dwellings of most local residents. Inequities like this have fuelled resentment at the way those living in Grand Rapids have been treated.

The Manto Sipi Youth Walk for Life

Eight days ago, 20 young people from the Manto Sipi (God’s River) First Nation started walking and running from Thompson to Winnipeg. The first two days there was a lot of rain, but they continued. They finished the walk today arriving at the legislature this afternoon. Last year, in this small community there were 11 attempted suicides. These young people decided to do something about the situation. They have walked to Winnipeg in search of help in finding funding for a youth centre and for a playground with play structures for younger children.

In February of this year, I was in Manto Sipi First Nation as part of Manitoba’s All-Party Task Force on Healthy Kids. It was very clear that the recreational opportunities for children were very limited, and improvement is badly needed. Since then, I stayed in contact with Michael Yellowback. When he and others decided to go ahead with the walk to Winnipeg, he sent me an email. I wrote back to indicate my support. I met them on Notre Dame Avenue and joined them for the last few kilometers. I agreed to support them in seeking funding from various sources – private sector, provincial and federal governments. Grand Chief Dr. Sydney Garrioch and I were both part of the walk and we have indicated our willingness to help them put together their request for funding. We will see what we can do.

Grandparents

Kevin Lamoureux and I have been promoting the recognition of the Sunday after labour day as Grandparents day in Canada. It is time to recognize and honour our grandparents. Though my own grandparents are no longer alive, I remember them well, and I know their lives had an impact on my own. On my father’s side, my grandfather gave up the possibility of wealth and position in England, and went to Africa, with my grandmother, convinced that he could do more as a physician and missionary to help others. You see, my grandfather’s father owned a major construction business, and I am sure, had he chosen my grandfather could have taken over the business and been very wealthy. Instead, my grandparents gave this all up. But, my grandfather did use his knowledge of the construction industry to build a hospital at Maua in Kenya. The hospital is still there and doing well. If you are interested you can see more about it at http://www.chak.or.ke/maua-methodist.php

Lawyers, laws and politics

Just after church this morning, at the party for children, I bumped into Larry. He said – “You get what you elect. If you elect an engineer, you will get building. If you elect a doctor you will get better health care. If you elect a Lawyer, you will get more laws. And sadly, more laws are not always the answer.” A case in point is Manitoba’s present justice minister, Gord Mackintosh. Whenever there is a problem, Gord is there with a new press release or a new law. In spite of all this, in six years while he has been Justice Minister, the incidence of car thefts in Manitoba has increased by leaps and bounds. Laws alone are not always the answer.

Let me expand. There is reasonable evidence that as many as half the people in jail in Canada may have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). I’ll bet Gord Mackintosh does not even know what proportion of those who steal cars have FASD. We know that those with FASD have great difficulty learning right from wrong under normal circumstances, and they need a different approach. Interestingly, our new Lieutenant Governor, John Harvard, was making the point when he spoke last Friday, that perhaps what is needed for youth with FASD is a more structured living environment. If you are interested in pursuing this issue further, see the Liberal Minority report on healthy children at www.manitoba.liberals.ca or write to the Lieutenant Governor and his wife Lenore at ltgov@leg.gov.mb.ca. They understand that new, more effective approaches are needed.