Liberal promise of 'independent' chief health officer astounds onetime top doc
A former chief medical officer of health says the Liberal government's plans to make the province's top doctor more independent are more than a little strange in light of significant restructuring to the office.
"The timing of it just doesn't mean to fit," said Wayne MacDonald, who spent 10 years in the role. "If this was meant to be a good news story, it certainly did not come across that way to me.
"It's bizarro world. That's almost what it reminds me of."
Last week, Health Minister Benoît Bourque said the Liberals will introduce legislation in the upcoming session of the legislature to make the position independent.
He told reporters there would be a bill to "provide a framework" to guarantee the chief medical officer his or her independence but said he wasn't able to provide details.
The announcement comes just two months after the government decided to restructure the office and move some of its operations to other government departments.
MacDonald said he was confused by the pledge to make the office independent in light of these considerable changes.
Opposition parties have also been skeptical about the timing.
"You've taken it apart, but now [you're] going to give independence?" MacDonald said.
"I don't even know how to describe that. It's kind of like putting the cart before the horse."
Few details about 'independence'
Bourque said it was too soon to provide details on how the chief medical officer will be made independent.
However, he did say the chief medical officer of health will be able to use the staff relocated to other departments.
But MacDonald said the promise to product legislation to guarantee the chief medical officer independence does nothing to address the issues created by changing the structure of the office.
The only way to do that, he said, would be to press pause on the restructuring and talk to external experts on public health "and say, if you really want to restructure the office of the chief, what are the problems that you're having with it, and get that input."
When he was in the role, MacDonald said, he felt he was free to speak his mind, but "it certainly wasn't written into the legislation that I had the independence to come out and speak to the public."
