REGINA, Sask. — From mandatory testing for infectious disease exposure to medical assistance in dying and recovering opioid-related health-care costs, the Saskatchewan government is preparing several justice-related bills for the new legislative session.
The indication in the Speech from the Throne is that a number of bills will be introduced, including one called The Mandatory Testing and Disclosure Act.
According to the Speech from the Throne, under that bill, if a “first responder or a victim of crime reasonably believes they have come in contact with an individual and are at risk of exposure from hepatitis B or C, or HIV, they can apply to the court to have mandatory testing of the source individual.”
Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim McLeod told reporters Tuesday that he gave notice of the bill’s introduction that day. He could not speak about the details until the bill was before the assembly, but he was able to speak about the purpose behind that legislation.
McLeod said it is to “ensure that we're doing everything that we can to protect our first responders who may become exposed to bodily substances of the individuals that they're working with. So that they can get the testing as quickly as possible to make sure that if they've been in contact with an infectious disease that we can get the appropriate treatment to them as quickly as possible.”
Currently, the consent of the individual from whom the bodily substance came is required, and “that's a very timely procedure,” said McLeod.
“So the assumption has to be that they have been exposed to an infectious disease and they often will start a regimen of drugs on that assumption. If we can get the tests for that bodily substance faster, that means that the first responders can have the peace of mind of knowing very quickly whether or not they have been exposed and whether the treatment is necessary.”
When asked if there were privacy concerns, McLeod said that would be “part of the consideration when we were crafting the bill and we believe that that was an important balance to strike — the individual's rights, but also the rights of our first responders who we rely upon their bravery each and every day. And we want to respect that if they've been exposed to something, a bodily substance, it's putting them at risk. We want to make sure that they're protected as much as possible as well.”
McLeod indicated this legislation is at the request of first responders.
“Well, this has been an ongoing dialogue with the first responders, something that we're constantly in contact with them and hearing from them about their concerns, the things that they're experiencing. We want to make sure that we're responding to make their lives easier.”
Another piece of legislation to be introduced is The Medical Assistance in Dying Additional Safeguards Act. The Speech from the Throne states this legislation is to prohibit the use of MAID for certain individuals, including persons under the age of 18 and persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.
That mention in the Speech from the Throne came on the same day that the federal government introduced its own legislation on MAID, called the MAID Safeguards Act.
McLeod said the intent is “to make sure that the legislation that we have here in the province is consistent but also is protecting the interests of the people of Saskatchewan in the way that they expect.”
He noted there is “provincial jurisdiction in this space as well … The programs are administered provincially and so that's where we have a place at that table.”
The government also says it will introduce The Opioid Damages Act, which the Speech from the Throne states is to “pursue the recovery of health care costs from manufacturers, wholesalers and consultants for opioid-related wrongdoing.”
McLeod confirmed to reporters that there is active litigation already happening against opioid producers.
“But what we're doing is we're looking to introduce a piece of legislation that would allow us, the citizens of Saskatchewan, to make sure that we're holding accountable people that would be producing these drugs to recoup the health care costs that they're putting as a burden on our system and our taxpayers.”
Again, he could not provide specifics until the bill is introduced, but acknowledged that opioids and addictions are “a huge financial strain on the health care system. And if we can hold accountable the people that are peddling these poisons in our communities, that is our goal.”
