QUEEN’S PARK — Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett held the Minister of Health to account in the Legislature today for her, “lame” excuses to the Public Accounts Committee for lack of ministerial oversight at Ornge air ambulance service.
“Yesterday at the public accounts committee, the Minister of Health indicated that because Ornge is a federally regulated charity, it’s off limits to her oversight,” Barrett reported to the Legislature. “So, now that she has declared federally regulated charities off limits to the provincial government, does that mean WSIB can’t go in and audit them to ensure proper deductions are being made, or the Ontario Securities Commission can’t ensure that investments comply with Ministry of Finance guidelines?
“Do you really expect people to believe your lame excuse that you had no oversight abilities for Ornge because it was a federally regulated charity?”
While the Minister claimed to be fixing the situation, Barrett noted the explanation simply doesn’t hold water.
“This Minister of Health’s excuse she could do nothing about Ornge because it is a federally regulated charity is pathetic,” asserted Barrett. “It is particularly so because in the next breath, she tries to take credit for intervening at Ornge. For weeks, she has been saying she should not be fired, because she took action to get the board to resign.”
“Just yesterday, we learned that she had done nothing to get the board to resign. The deputy minister told public accounts, “The board agreed to resign on their own volition.” The minister is starting to get quite a track record of inaccurate things she is telling this House.”
Barrett concluded by noting that if the board of Ornge had the good sense to hand in their resignations, surely the Minister should follow suit.
“How is it that even the board at Ornge had the integrity to know when to throw in the towel and resign, but you don’t?”
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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at: (416) 325-8404,
(519) 428-0446 or 1-800-903-8629
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO HANSARD
Thursday 29 March 2012
AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE
Mr. Toby Barrett: To the Premier: Yesterday at the public accounts committee, the Minister of Health indicated that because Ornge is a federally regulated charity, it’s off limits to her oversight. So, now that she has declared federally regulated charities off limits to the provincial government, does that mean WSIB can’t go in and audit them to ensure proper deductions are being made, or the Ontario Securities Commission can’t ensure that investments comply with Ministry of Finance guidelines? Is the Ministry of Revenue restricted from auditing Ornge to ensure OHIP deductions are being properly made?
Do you really expect people to believe your lame excuse that you had no oversight abilities for Ornge because it was a federally regulated charity?
Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Health.
Hon. Deborah Matthews: Now, I am no lawyer, Speaker, but I have received advice from legal counsel on this issue. The member opposite should know that what we’re talking about is the incorporation status, Speaker. We’re not talking about registered charities; we’re talking about where the incorporation of the entity is. We are changing that. We are changing the performance agreement. We have changed the performance agreement, and we—
Interjections.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): We’re getting into the yelling again.
Minister.
Hon. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, we took decisive action. One of the pieces—
Interjections.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Member for Northumberland, come to order.
Hon. Deborah Matthews: —to recall, Mr. Speaker, is to change the incorporation status from a federally incorporated organization to something under the Ontario—as an Ontario-registered incorporated organization.
What is important to the people of this province is that we are bringing far more transparency and oversight. I will be able—
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Supplementary?
Mr. Toby Barrett: Speaker, this Minister of Health’s excuse she could do nothing about Ornge because it is a federally regulated charity is pathetic. It is particularly so because in the next breath, she tries to take credit for intervening at Ornge.
For weeks, she has been saying she should not be fired, because she took action to get the board to resign. Just yesterday, we learned that she had done nothing to get the board to resign. The deputy minister told public accounts, “The board agreed to resign on their own volition.” The minister is starting to get quite a track record of inaccurate things she is telling this House. How is it—
Interjections.
The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I would caution the member of trying to say something that you can’t say as unparliamentary language, and I ask him to be cautious of that, please.
Mr. Toby Barrett: Thank you for the caution.
How is it that even the board at Ornge had the integrity to know when to throw in the towel and resign, but you don’t?
Hon. Deborah Matthews: My job as the Minister of Health is to fix the problems as they arise, and I have done exactly that. We are moving forward with important changes at Ornge. With the new legislation, if it passes, we will be able to send in a supervisor as soon as the public interest, we feel, is threatened. Under the new performance agreement and under the new legislation, we will have much stricter oversight of Ornge. There will be much higher transparency, and most importantly, we will have a rigorous quality improvement and quality reporting system. We are making the changes at Ornge. I wish the member opposite would support us as we make these changes.