REGINA - The recent departures of leaders at the Saskatchewan Health Authority were a major topic during Question Period at the legislature this week.
Opposition questions this week focused on the resignation of Scott Livingstone as CEO of the SHA, as well as a resignation from the SHA board.
Dr. Janet Tootoosis, a North Battleford physician, revealed in a Star-Phoenix interview that she had resigned her position on the SHA board. Tootoosis had been one of the founding members of the Board following the creation of the SHA.
SASKTODAY.ca’s Larissa Kurz reported this week that Tootoosis “told media following her resignation that she did so due to burnout concerns. She said she felt immense pressure and little recognition during a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic situation.”
The news of the SHA departures prompted questions from Opposition Leader Ryan Meili to Premier Scott Moe in the legislature on Tuesday afternoon.
In response, Moe hit back at Meili over other accusations the Premier had faced from the opposition: over a phone call he took from an anti-vax proponent in the past week. The exchange between Moe and Meili was recorded in Hansard.
Mr. Meili - Folks, we’re joined today by folks from Poundmaker First Nation, among others. One of the most famous, well-known members of Poundmaker First Nation is Dr. Janet Tootoosis. Dr. Janet Tootoosis is a physician in North Battleford. She was one of the founding members of the board of the Saskatchewan Health Authority — great doctor, a real leader in medicine. But she’s left that position on the SHA [Saskatchewan Health Authority] board. And she spoke, she spoke of people being tired, of good people doing so much. She said, and I quote, “I didn’t want a front seat to watch great, incredible people be taken out by whatever.”
When Dr. Tootoosis was asked if the board was under any external pressure from the government, she said she could not say. Given all we’re seeing here, given all we’re learning about what’s really happening within the SHA, it’s hard not to read more into that careful response. Perhaps the Premier could be more clear. What external pressures has his minister, has this government brought to bear on the SHA board?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: — Well, Mr. Speaker, over the course, over the course of the last number of months we’ve seen, you know, a lot go on that we really haven’t seen, our generation hasn’t seen happen as we address the challenges of COVID-19, Mr. Speaker. And I would just say that, you know, our nation right now — and more so to our concern, our province — is pretty divided at the moment, Mr. Speaker.
There are great divisions in our communities. We see divisions in families. We see divisions between friends, Mr. Speaker. And I think what doesn’t help those divisions, Mr. Speaker, is when the Leader of the Opposition yet again goes out and labels people as right-wing wackos or, as he just said on the floor of this Assembly, extremists. Mr. Speaker, that isn’t helpful to the divisions that we have.
… We’re going to do everything that we can to ensure that we are not, as Dr. Shahab says, stigmatizing the unvaccinated in this province. These are our family. These are our friends. These are people in our community, Mr. Speaker. We should not be labelling them with right-wing wacko terms like the Leader of the Opposition is. We should be, Mr. Speaker, engaging with them, taking the time to make a phone call to someone that maybe has a different perspective than you might have.
Meili soon resumed his attack on the SHA departures.
Mr. Meili: — … And now we’ve seen an exodus of key people in the Saskatchewan Health Authority. The COO [chief operating officer] is gone. The CEO is gone. SHA board members are leaving. What is going on for real?
Under this Premier, we’re seeing the SHA fall apart. Is this because the minister put pressure on the CEO to change the structure of the executive leadership team?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: — Mr. Speaker, in light of the comments that the Leader of the Opposition made yesterday — around, Mr. Speaker, with respect to referring to a Saskatchewan citizen as a right-wing wacko; more recently comments around labelling a group as extremist, Mr. Speaker — what I would say is I would refer the Leader of the Opposition to Dr. Shahab’s comments where he indicates that unvaccinated people should not be stigmatized, Mr. Speaker. Dr. Shahab goes on to say, “I think there’s been a lot of finger pointing and certainly feel that we need to empathize with people who are not vaccinated,” Mr. Speaker.
So my question to the Leader of the Opposition is, why is he ignoring the advice of the chief medical health officer in this province?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr. Meili: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The question was very straightforward. Why did Mr. Livingstone leave? Did he leave because the minister tried to force changes to the executive leadership team? Did he leave because the minister tried to force in his own appointee as chief operating officer? What external pressures from this minister led to the departure of Scott Livingstone?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: — As I’ve said yesterday, Mr. Speaker, we thank Mr. Livingstone. We thank all of those that have served, not only in the Saskatchewan Health Authority with our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Speaker, but across government and across the province, that have responded in our battle against COVID-19 over the course of the last 20 months, Mr. Speaker. What we have seen through that response, Mr. Speaker, and what we are seeing today most certainly is, you know, great divisions in our community…
Mr. Meili: — Mr. Speaker, when there’s smoke, there’s fire. And it was very clear that the Premier didn’t want to answer that question. The minister certainly doesn’t want to admit to what he’s done, the interfering with the SHA, his choices that have led to the departure of the CEO. We deserve answers on this, Mr. Speaker…
Mr. Speaker, it’s question after question after question, but no answers. The only way we’re going to get to the bottom of this, Mr. Speaker, is if we have a full public inquiry into the failings of this government on COVID-19. To the Premier: will you commit today to a full public inquiry, get to the bottom of all of the ways you failed this province?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: — There it is, Mr. Speaker. In the dying days of every session, we see the Leader of the Opposition stand up in desperation and usually what he calls for is a do-over of the session, Mr. Speaker, which is what I was expecting here today.
The exchanges over SHA departures continued Wednesday in the legislature, this time between Opposition critic Vicki Mowat and Health Minister Paul Merriman.
Hon. Mr. Merriman: — … And I want to be able to thank Mr. Livingstone for everything that he’s done for the SHA. He was our first CEO in the SHA, bringing all of our regions together and building that community up. Mr. Speaker, we very much appreciate what he’s done.
We also appreciate the exiting board member, Dr. Tootoosis, for her work. And we also did have — surprisingly enough to the opposition — a person retire, Mr. Speaker. Because that does happen after 35 years of service, Mr. Speaker, that people do do that.
So again, there is always turnover in all areas...
The Speaker: — I recognize the member from Saskatoon Fairview.
Ms. Mowat: — This isn’t a simple HR [human resources] issue, Mr. Speaker. This isn’t business as usual. The head of Saskatchewan’s health system resigned on short notice in the middle of a pandemic. Did the minister put pressure on Scott Livingstone to change the structure of the leadership team?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Minister of Health.
Hon. Mr. Merriman: — Thank you again, Mr. Speaker, and very similar answer that I had before.
…
Again I want to thank the outgoing board member, Dr. Tootoosis, for her hard work and her guidance on that. We’re looking to replace that individual...
The Speaker: — I recognize the member from Saskatoon Fairview.
Ms. Mowat: — People deserve answers to these questions, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we’ve lost the head of the organization. We no longer have a chief operating officer and the SHA board has also now lost Dr. Tootoosis, one of two Indigenous board members and the only doctor that was left. She explained her departure by saying, “I didn’t want a front seat to watch great, incredible people taken out by whatever.”
What exactly took out the great, incredible people who have now left our health system, Mr. Speaker?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Minister of Health.
Hon. Mr. Merriman: — Mr. Speaker, as I’ve been informed by the board Chair, they are actively looking at recruiting somebody. And obviously we would love to be able to recruit somebody with Dr. Tootoosis’s knowledge on the medical side but also on the Indigenous side, Mr. Speaker. And the board is actively working on that.
Mr. Speaker, this isn’t new. We do have turnover at the board level on all boards within the government. There is refreshing, people coming on to be able to have fresh eyes . . . Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition continues to heckle. But what I can do is — not like the members opposite — I want to thank those workers for what they have done for us. They have done a tremendous job in helping us through the most challenging health care crisis that we have ever seen, Mr. Speaker.
