November 23rd, 2020

Official Opposition was not consulted about Dr. Williams’ extension

QUEEN’S PARK — The NDP is calling for a non-partisan discussion about the government’s plan to re-appoint Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams, and will not provide unanimous consent today to allow that critical pandemic decision to be made on the fly.

“The Chief Medical Officer of Health is a critical player in the pandemic response strategy. Re-appointing him with no process and no discussion is turning this key public health decision into a political game,” said Deputy Leader of the Opposition Sara Singh.

The Official Opposition wrote to the government on Nov. 10 asking for an all-party panel to begin work selecting a Chief Medical Officer of Health, as well as a new position called the Chief Medical Officer of Ontario Health. Instead of responding to that request, the government tabled a motion Monday to extend Williams’ term.

“We recognize there are very legitimate concerns about how the government is handling this pandemic,” said Singh. “The Ford government cut back on public health protections just as the second wave was starting to surge, and set disastrously high thresholds for action.

“People are legitimately concerned about whether Dr. Williams actually advised Doug Ford to do these dangerous things — or, rather, if Dr. Williams is just justifying political decisions.”