Newfoundland and Labrador premier replaces health minister amid doctor shortages
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey announced Wednesday that he has moved the health minister who steered the province's pandemic response to a new portfolio.
The premier announced Wednesday that John Haggie, a physician who had been health minister since 2015, is taking over the education portfolio. Tom Osborne moves from education to health.
"Ministers Haggie and Osborne have been instrumental in navigating the province through the pandemic," Furey said in a press release. "(They've) supported our government's vision to strengthen our communities and improve service delivery for the benefit of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians."
The move comes amid mounting health-care concerns in the province. The bustling Newfoundland town of Bonavista held a community meeting last week about its lack of doctors, as its emergency room faces intermittent closures this summer due to staffing shortages.
Mayor John Norman wrote a passionate post about the situation on social media last month, saying he was considering declaring a health-care state of emergency in his community.
Last month, the provincial medical association released figures showing that nearly a quarter of Newfoundland and Labrador residents are without a family doctor.
Like Haggie, Furey is a physician. Haggie is the former president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association and of the Canadian Medical Association.
Osborne was the province's health minister under former Progressive Conservative Premier Danny Williams from 2006 to 2007, as errors in breast cancer testing in the province were coming to light. That ultimately resulted in a sweeping public investigation called the Cameron Inquiry. He joined in the Liberals in 2013, and was appointed finance minister in 2017 by former premier Dwight Ball, for whom he oversaw tense negotiations with one of the largest public sector unions in the province.
In a news release Wednesday, the Opposition Progressive Conservatives said the change was welcome and should have happened long ago.
"After years of ignoring major issues, antagonizing health-care professionals, and failing to address our health-care crisis, the premier finally realizes something has to change," Tory leader David Brazil said. "I can only hope minister Osborne has learned from his past through the Cameron Inquiry and does the right thing to help the people of Newfoundland and Labrador access health care."
Wednesday's cabinet shuffle comes just weeks after a task force on health care established by Furey delivered its final report outlining sweeping recommendations for changes in the province's health system.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
NEW Where to watch the state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney
A state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney will be held in Montreal on March 23. CTV News will have live special coverage of his funeral service.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
NEW High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.