Backtracking in Health

It is hard to run any government ministry without resources. The Campbell government is now stripping the components of its health ministries of key staff and turning its ministers into glorified parliamentary secretaries.

The Campbell government made a big deal out of breaking the Ministry of Health into two ministries, Ministry of Health Services complete with a Minister of State for Mental Health and a Minister of State for Intermediate, Long Term and Home Care, and a second Ministry of Health Planning. At the June 5th swearing in ceremony, Premier Campbell said "No area of endeavour cries more loudly for changes in approach than health care. In my cabinet, there will be four Ministers whose responsibility it is to further our health agenda of providing care for people where they live and when they need it." Five months later it looks like there is one real Ministry with Minister of Health Services Colin Hansen and three overpaid glorified parliamentary secretaries. Parliamentary secretaries are backbenchers who get a few extra bucks but no real power. Without staff to run their ministries, ministers are seat warmers.

The latest news is an enormous golden handshake (estimates put it at $190,000 or more) for the Deputy Minister of Health Planning who was on the job for five months. It appears that as the result of downsizing, it was decided that one deputy for the Ministry of Health Services could do the job (just as was previously the case). The liberals have now exceeded the most extravagant of any of the former government's appointments and payouts.

Mark Milke, spokesperson for the BC branch of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, "noted that the Liberals owe the public an explanation, the NDP an apology, and taxpayers a new policy on severance packages for senior civil servants." Milke said "The government should negotiate severance packages that climb to such heights only after extended service to the public - service that is measured in years, not months."

Stripping the new Ministers of their key staff is not limited to the "release" of the Deputy for Health Planning. A government news released dated October 30th proclaimed "Minister of State ensures advocacy for mental health." That is new speak for the announcement that government was not going to renew the contract for the Mental Health Advocate. The Mental Health Advocate was appointed following the recommendation of the BC Ombudsman. At the time the Ombudsman criticized government saying that the position should be protected rather than being hired on contract. The Ombudsman was right. The Minister of State will never hold government's feet to the fire the way an independent Mental Health Advocate could.

Of course, reducing health back to one real ministry with three overpaid parliamentary secretaries is just the tip of the iceberg when in comes to cuts in health. It might be more seemly if the size of cabinet were reduced through the firing of the unnecessary glorified backbenchers before more hospital beds close as a result of the budget freeze.