December 8, 2023
FREDERICTON – Today in the Legislature, MLA for Memramcook-Tantramar and Green Healthcare Critic Megan Mitton called on the Higgs government to end the use of private travel nursing agencies by the end of 2025.
“Horizon and Vitalité spent a whopping $57 million on temporary, private travel agency nurses between April and August of this year,” stated Mitton. “This is another example of privatization in our healthcare system, costing New Brunswickers more and undermining our public healthcare system.”
New Brunswick nurses have some of the lowest wages in Canada, after Quebec, making $45.67 per hour, while travel agency nurses are making more than three times that amount at $142 an hour.
“It’s demoralizing for our public sector nurses to work alongside people being paid significantly more,” added Mitton. “It’s time for the government to address the shortages by investing in training, retention, and recruitment of nurses that live and work here in New Brunswick.”
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