"Not Broken, It's Strained": CBC Power & Politics on the Wettlaufer Inquiry Report, 2019

Name: "Not Broken, It's Strained": CBC Power & Politics on the Wettlaufer Inquiry Report, 2019
Uploaded: 2019-07-31T00:00:00Z
Duration: 9 min 39 s
Description: On the day the public inquiry found that "systemic vulnerabilities" let Elizabeth Wettlaufer kill for years, CBC's Vassy Kapelos presses Ontario's long-term care minister on what the government will do and when. Wettlaufer is not heard.

On the day the public inquiry found that "systemic vulnerabilities" let Elizabeth Wettlaufer kill for years, CBC's Vassy Kapelos presses Ontario's long-term care minister on what the government will do and when. Wettlaufer is not heard.

Subject: Elizabeth Wettlaufer
Recorded: July 31, 2019
Runtime: 9:39

Content warning: Refers to the murders of eight long-term care patients by a nurse. No graphic detail.

The Interview

This is a 9-minute-39-second segment of CBC News Network's "Power & Politics," posted by CBC News on July 31, 2019, the day the public inquiry into Elizabeth Wettlaufer's crimes released its report. Wettlaufer is not heard. The segment opens with a brief clip of the inquiry's commissioner, Justice Eileen Gillese, presenting her findings, and then host Vassy Kapelos interviews Ontario's Minister of Long-Term Care, Merrilee Fullerton, live from Woodstock, Ontario, where the report was released.

Historical Context

Elizabeth Wettlaufer, a registered nurse, killed eight residents of long-term care homes in southwestern Ontario with insulin overdoses between 2007 and 2014, seven at Caressant Care in Woodstock and one at Meadow Park in London. Her crimes became known only when she confessed in 2016. She was charged with eight murders in October 2016, pleaded guilty on June 1, 2017, and was sentenced on June 26, 2017, to life imprisonment with no parole for 25 years.

Circumstances

Ontario announced a public inquiry in 2017, led by Justice Eileen Gillese of the Court of Appeal for Ontario; hearings began on June 5, 2018. Her four-volume report, released on July 31, 2019, made 91 recommendations and found that "systemic vulnerabilities" in the long-term care system, rather than misconduct by any individual or organization, allowed the killings to go undetected.

What the Recording Covers

In the opening clip the commissioner says, "we cannot continue to do the same things in the same ways in the long-term care system." Kapelos asks three times whether the minister accepts the finding of systemic vulnerabilities; Fullerton answers that "the system is not broken, it's strained," and that no particular individual or organization was found at fault. She says the government is committing to new funding, counseling for victims' families, and a progress report by July 31, 2020, and that she met "one of the victims" and families that day. Pressed on whether money would be set aside for staffing the promised 15,000 new long-term care beds, and when, Fullerton cites 1.75 billion dollars over five years for capacity and 72 million dollars that year, and says the recommendations need careful review, with news "in the coming weeks."

What Makes the Recording Significant

It records the Ontario government's on-air response to the inquiry's findings on the day they were released, including its public commitments to new funding and a one-year progress report.

Important Caveats

Wettlaufer is not heard, and most of the interview concerns funding and staffing rather than the murders. The commissioner is not named on air; the attribution of the opening clip rests on her published words. The host's "between 2007 and 2016" should be read as 2007 to 2014 for the killings; her crimes, counting the attempted murders, continued until 2016, the year she confessed. No victim is named in the video. The minister's funding statements are her claims at the time and are not checked here.

Commissioner Eileen Gillese: If we're going to prevent similar tragedies in the future, we cannot continue to do the same things in the same ways in the long-term care system. We cannot. If the system didn't detect it before, it will not detect, deter and stop it in the future.

Vassy Kapelos: Between 2007 and 2016, Elizabeth Wettlaufer, a nurse at several long-term care homes in Ontario, killed eight of her patients. Her crimes didn't come to light until she herself confessed in 2016. In the wake of those murders, Ontario launched an inquiry into the safety of long-term care homes, and today the report was released. It makes 91 recommendations, saying the long-term care system in that province is strained, that systemic failures allowed Wettlaufer to kill her patients. So how is the Ontario government responding to the report, and what resources are they willing to commit to help ease the burden on the long-term care system and make sure something like this never happens again? Merrilee Fullerton is the Ontario Minister of Long-Term Care. She joins us now from Woodstock, Ontario. Hi, Minister. Nice to see you. Thanks for making time for us.

Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you for your interest.

Vassy Kapelos: Minister, the Commissioner of the Public Inquiry did not make any findings of individual misconduct in her public inquiry. Instead, she found that it was, quote, "systemic vulnerabilities" within the long-term care system that allowed Elizabeth Wettlaufer to repeatedly kill and get away with it. Do you agree with that very basic finding, that it was systemic issues that led to that?

Merrilee Fullerton: Well, we need a long-term care system that treats people with dignity, and I think that that's what we're moving towards. We need a system ready for the 21st century, and that is what our government is doing. We're looking at making sure that individuals within the long-term care system are treated respectfully and with dignity, and, with the recommendations from the justice and the public inquiry, we're looking at new funding, understanding that there is a need. And I think as we go forward, also counseling for the victims, the loved ones, the victims' families, and understanding the recommendations after careful review. And so we'll move forward. We know that this is important to all Ontarians, and I was very pleased to be able to meet with one of the victims today, and the victims' families.

Vassy Kapelos: Do you agree, though, Minister... And I'll apologize to you and our viewers for all the wind; thanks for your cooperation. Do you agree... I just want to make sure I'm clear with that basic premise, though: that it wasn't an individual's responsibility, or individuals doing, that this is a systemic failure?

Merrilee Fullerton: Well, the justice was very clear, and she actually states in the report that the system is not broken, it's strained. And I do have hope that as we move forward, and looking at the recommendations with careful review, that the changes that we will be making over time will be very, very important for the quality and safe care of residents in long-term care, and in home care.

Vassy Kapelos: Do you agree, though, with her finding that it was, quote, "systemic vulnerabilities" within the system that led to what happened with Elizabeth Wettlaufer?

Merrilee Fullerton: Well, she's very clear, and she says in her report that this was not any particular, any particular individual or organization that is at fault. And so how do we move forward implementing her recommendations, and understanding how we make the system better? And so I think that that's a very, very important point that she's made, and we want to make sure that we have a long-term care system that is responsive to the needs of residents, and allow people to get the support they need when they need it.

Vassy Kapelos: You mentioned, Minister, the possibility of new funding. Your government has promised, and it was a key campaign promise, 15,000 new long-term beds. Will you be increasing funding for staffing to go along with those new beds, and by how much?

Merrilee Fullerton: Well, we have to carefully review the recommendations, because some of the recommendations were regarding staffing. But, you know, with 91 recommendations, there were other, other aspects as well. So we'll be looking at those and seeing what we can implement fairly quickly, and others that will take longer. But we are committing to new funding, and I think that's an important move forward.

Vassy Kapelos: What does new funding mean, and by when will that number be revealed?

Merrilee Fullerton: Well, I'm sure you can understand, with 91 recommendations that we've only had the chance to review over the last couple days, and understanding how important it is to get this right. So we know that already we have committed 1.75 billion dollars over the next five years to increase capacity in the system, and 72 million dollars more just this year. So we are now saying that we will commit to new funding to address the recommendations, but it will require a very, very thoughtful and careful review of the recommendations to see how that will be done. So we're hoping to have more news. And as we look ahead to July 31st, 2020, when we will have the report, we will look at having updates during that time to let people know about our progress.

Vassy Kapelos: The money that you mentioned, the 1.75 billion dollars to increase capacity: my understanding is, I mean, you've made very specific promises on how, by how many beds you're going to increase, how many more long-term beds you're going to add. I think it's more than 7,000 now you've allotted funding for; the ultimate goal is 15,000. What I'm wondering, because at the time of those announcements, what I'm wondering is, has there been any specific money allotted for increases in staff? And I understand that that's part of the recommendations in this study, but even with your original promise of increasing those beds, is there a plan to increase staffing just to keep it at the levels it's at now, with the increase in beds?

Merrilee Fullerton: Well, that's something that we'll have to carefully review, but 91 recommendations, all which are significant, and the justice... I want to commend the justice and her team for the work that she's done. She's done a very, very thorough job, and has presented it very well today, and I appreciate all the work that's been done. And so the funding, of course: if we're building new beds and new capacity, those will have to be staffed, of course. So there'll have to be funding envelopes that address some of the recommendations, and we're going to carefully review how that will work and what that will look like.

Vassy Kapelos: Is that new money, though? I appreciate your... [unclear: "Yeah, the Minister, has" / "hi Shay yeah yeah head Minister has"] any of that money, [money] for new staffing for those 15,000 beds, been allotted? And I'm asking you, and I understand that I'm asking a lot, but I'm asking repeatedly because your government has insisted, in describing many of your funding decisions in other areas, that there is only so much money, right? That the deficit is so big that tough decisions have to be made. So I'm wondering, will there be specific money for staffing, and when will Ontarians know how much money that will be?

Merrilee Fullerton: It's, it's clear that long-term care is a priority for this government. Our government has made campaign commitments. It's created a new Ministry of Long-Term Care, and I'm the new Minister of Long-Term Care, and I take this role very, very seriously. And listening to the loved ones, and the families, and the victim that was present today, it reinforces our need to make positive change in the long-term care system. We need a system that is going to respond to the needs of people when they need the care. And so we will be looking at a very thorough, comprehensive review of all the recommendations, and there will be new funding attached. So I appreciate your interest.

Vassy Kapelos: That doesn't, Minister, though, answer the question of when Ontarians will know if that new funding is coming, and in what amount. Are we waiting for the budget, for example? Are we waiting until July 31, 2020, when your government has fully reviewed this? At what point does that money start to flow?

Merrilee Fullerton: Well, we will have to see. There are 91 recommendations; there's a lot of information there. And we are committed to long-term care. I think it's really clear, with a new ministry, and as, as I'm the new minister. We need to understand thoroughly how we can use those dollars in the most effective way, and where the new funding would fit to provide the most important support for our loved ones in long-term care.

Vassy Kapelos: So no timeline at this point at all, though, for when a decision...

Merrilee Fullerton: Well, well, well, well, yes, there will be. In the coming weeks there will be a comprehensive [unclear: "view" / no word]... You have to understand that there is work to be done. We have, the justice's report was very, very thorough, and we will look at that over the coming weeks and have more news. We have also committed to July 31st, 2020, being the point in time where we will have a report, based in a submission, with our progress, and we will keep the public updated over the next year in terms of our progress on the recommendations. I think it's a very, very important report that the justice has just finished and announced today, and I look forward to reviewing it more thoroughly.

Vassy Kapelos: All right, I'll leave it there. Thank you very much, Minister Fullerton. That's Ontario's Minister of Long-Term Care, Merrilee Fullerton, from Woodstock, Ontario. Hi, I'm Vassy Kapelos, host of Power & Politics. See more of our show by subscribing to the CBC News channel, or click the link for another video. Thanks for watching. [The video ends at 09:39.] ---