Health Care Honours, Employment, Retention, Optimization and Empowerment Strategy Act, 2026
Sponsored by Shamji, Adil · First Reading Ordered for Second Reading
- Requires the Minister of Health to publish a health care worker support strategy within six months of Royal Assent
- Strategy must include workforce data collection, annual worker surveys on burnout and safety, and staffing action plans
- Includes a timeline for a government apology over the 2019 wage-limiting law and reaffirming collective bargaining rights
- Creates new honours, including an Exemplary Service Award and a Distinguished Conduct Medal, and a Health Professionals' Week in June
- Sets out plans for wage parity, competitive pay, mental health supports, and workplace safety standards for health care workers
- Imposes a financial penalty on the Minister and Premier personally if strategy deadlines are missed, equal to 10 per cent of their salary
- Amends the Public Hospitals Act to extend maximum hospital medical staff appointments from one year to three years