Dr. Pat Parfrey, the CEO of NL Health Services, has taken to the media in the wake of the Auditor General’s damning report on private nursing contracts.
He keeps repeating the line: “NLHS didn’t exist when these contracts were signed.” But this talking point is both misleading and unhelpful.
Let’s be clear: the people who signed those contracts—who approved questionable spending and oversaw poor accountability—are now senior leaders at NLHS. Changing the name on the letterhead doesn’t erase the responsibility.
Dr. Parfrey’s response downplays the seriousness of the issues flagged by the Auditor General, some of which she said may be fraudulent. Instead of accepting responsibility and committing to fix what’s broken, NLHS appears more focused on dodging blame and discrediting the Auditor General.
That’s deeply concerning.
This is a moment for leadership and accountability—not deflection and defensiveness. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians deserve to know what happened, who was involved, and what’s being done to stop it from happening again.
The Public Accounts Committee must have full power to investigate this. Every document, decision, and conversation needs to be reviewed. We can’t accept vague answers or selective memories. The people of this province deserve transparency, consequences, and change.
While NLHS must take responsibility, they are not alone. The government also has a role to play. These were public dollars, spent through public systems. The people of this province deserve to know their leaders are paying attention. The silence from government so far has been disappointing.
Elected leaders may not oversee daily healthcare operations, but they do set the tone for accountability. We need to see a firm commitment to recouping costs, correcting failures, and restoring trust in how healthcare is managed and delivered.
This is about more than dollars and cents. It’s about restoring confidence that healthcare dollars are being spent wisely and ethically—and that the people trusted to lead are worthy of that trust.
Yvette Coffey, RN
President
Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland & Labrador
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About the Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland & Labrador
The Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland & Labrador (RNU) represents more than 5,800 registered nurses and nurse practitioners working in acute care, long-term care, community, education, and research. RNU is dedicated to advocating for quality public healthcare and ensuring that RNs and NPs are recognized and supported in delivering expert, evidence-based care to the people of this province.
For more information, please contact:
Jonathan Hamel
Director of Communications
Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland & Labrador
Phone: (709) 691-6890
Email: jhamel@rnunl.ca