Bureaucrat fired over leak about health ‘super agency’
Dismissal comes as Horwath accuses Tories of coverup
A bureaucrat has been fired and police contacted by the head of Ontario’s public service after the leak to the opposition New Democrats of Premier Doug Ford’s health care overhaul plan.
The dismissal of the unnamed civil servant came Monday as NDP Leader Andrea Horwath revealed more internal government documents, dated Dec. 13 and later, which suggest Ford is preparing to privatize some health services under a new “super agency” first reported by the Star in December.
“The Ford government has been keeping it all under wraps,” Horwath told a news conference, following up on the release by her office last week of confidential draft legislation to create a new health “super agency.”
The super agency would have powers to contract out more health services.
“They are covering up the fact that Ford’s overhaul of the health-care system is a done deal,” Horwath said.
Health Minister Christine Elliott denied accusations from Horwath — who cited one document on “outsourcing” — that the government will be privatizing health inspections, laboratories, licensing, medical devices and the Ornge air ambulance service.
“The answer is no,” Elliott told reporters though she repeatedly evaded questions about indications in the documents that some other measures have been passed by cabinet.
She would not confirm what has been approved, other than to say nothing is “finalized” and that “there are many, many parts to this entire plan.”
An aide said later that “due to the importance of cabinet confidentiality, we are unable to confirm what has gone through the cabinet process.”
“However, we can confirm that much of the material released by the NDP has never even crossed the minister’s desk — let alone made it to the cabinet table,” said Hayley Chazan, Elliott’s press secretary.
The super agency has already been incorporated under the name Health Program Initiatives as indicated in the documents revealed by the NDP, the Star has determined.
A public record search with the Ministry of Government Services shows that the super agency was formally incorporated on Jan.18 under the name Health Program Initiatives.
Health Program Initiatives and the super agency are one in the same, said a source close to government, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give media interviews.
The incorporation documents name two directors: deputy health minister Helen Angus and assistant deputy health minister Lynn Guerriero.
Elliott accused the NDP of “fear-mongering” and “intentionally creating confusion” with the “inappropriately obtained” documents to raise funds from supporters and bolster Horwath’s position at a party leadership review slated for this spring.
The health minister, who last Friday denied any plans to tender health services to the lowest bidder, insisted she had not seen many of the documents Horwath referenced and said some contained options prepared by the civil service for the government to consider.
On the firing, acting secretary of cabinet Steven Davidson said the disclosure of documents was “unauthorized.”
“As a result of our investigation into this matter, the employee responsible for this breach is no longer employed in the Ontario Public Service. The Ontario Provincial Police have also been notified,” Davidson, the province’s top civil servant, wrote in a memo to staff.
“We are in privileged positions as public servants ... trust, professionalism and integrity are at the very core of our work. This includes strict adherence to our oath to protect the confidentiality of all information that comes into our possession unless we are legally authorized or required to release it,” he added.
“A breach of this oath can have serious consequences, not only for the individual involved, but for the many thousands of public servants who I know faithfully discharge their duties every day. I have every confidence in the professionalism of the Ontario Public Service as we work to support the government in the delivery of its agenda.”
It was not immediately clear if the OPP would investigate. Nor is it known whether the ousted employee was a manager or a unionized worker.
While leaks are not unusual at Queen’s Park, they usually come from political staff rather than non-partisan bureaucrats, who are bound by their oath of secrecy.
The latest batch of documents from the New Democrats mention a plan for between 30 and 50 “MyCare” groups for patients across the province, aimed at creating “a single team of providers for all their care needs” to avoid “gaps” in service.
Horwath said the papers show these groups will have “unprecedented power” to contract out services to private providers at a time when “we need every last health care dollar to go directly to patient care.” She would not comment on how the NDP got the papers, given statements by the governing Progressive Conservatives about the possibility of a police investigation.
On a potential police probe, Government House Leader Todd Smith said, “I have full faith in the OPP if it gets there.”
Smith insisted there is no potential for conflict of interest if Ron Taverner, a friend of Ford whose appointment as OPP commissioner is in limbo pending an investigation by the integrity commissioner, takes command of the force.
Both Horwath and Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunter said the potential involvement of the OPP proves the point, also raised by policing experts, that it’s dangerous to have the premier’s pal in charge of the country’s second largest police force.
“In these situations the public must have confidence the OPP will act appropriately. That is impossible if the OPP commissioner is known to be a close friend of the premier.”
Horwath said it’s the OPP’s decision to decide whether it investigates any suspected crime — not the government’s.
“It does raise the question, if Mr. Taverner were in the role of the OPP (commissioner), could we all be confident that it would be an independent decision of the OPP.”