Candidates say timing of Health P.E.I. advisories raises questions about political interference

Some people arecriticizing the P.E.I. government after a series of major health care announcements were issued the day after Monday's provincial election.

Health P.E.I. announced on Tuesday that the same-day clinic at the Evangeline Health Centre would be closed all of April due to staff shortages, and that the Prince County Hospital would be without any anesthesiologists from April 5 to 11.

Health P.E.I.'s CEO, Dr. Michael Gardam, wouldn't confirm whether these announcements were delayed because of the election during an interview with CBC News: Compass on Wednesday.

But Gardam did say that caretaker government policies prevented Health P.E.I. from making "big, significant announcements" until after the election in most cases.

More clarity needed on caretaker government rules: Health P.E.I. CEO

2 years ago

Duration 7:17

Health P.E.I. CEO Dr. Michael Gardam joins CBC News: Compass to discuss the status of health care in P.E.I. following the provincial election.

Meanwhile, CBC News has sincelearned that the Evangeline same-day clinic was closed all of March, even though no announcement was made to the public. Premier Dennis King triggered the election campaign on March 6.

CBC also learned a news release announcing the clinic would be closed in April was supposed to be sent out on March 31, the Friday before the election, but the clerk of the executive council who's in charge of running the government while it's in caretaker mode held it off.

"We were told to run all external releases by government before we sent them out and I did so," Gardam said in an email.

"This is not unusual during the caretaker period there needs to be one final decision maker on what makes it out, what is withheld."

Could announcement have made a difference?

Under caretaker conventions, government institutions aren't suppose to make announcements while an election is taking place except for very urgent or very routine situations.

But some candidatesare questioning why the closure of theEvangeline Health Centre's same-day clinic would not be exempt from the caretaker convention.

Pat MacLellan was the Liberal candidate for District 24: Evangeline-Miscouche, which is where the clinic is located.

He said the announcement of the closure could have hurt the Progressive Conservatives and even changed the outcome in his district.

District 24 was won by Progressive Conservative candidate Gilles Arsenault, with about 61.7 per cent of the vote, according to preliminary results from Elections P.E.I.

"In that area, a lot of people use [the centre]. It's a vital part. It's a bilingual medical office, and that's needed in that area. So [the closure] hurts District 24," MacLellan said.

"It's something they were trying to hide, you know, to save them in the election in my opinion ... To hold back that information and and let it out after the election, it's kind of sad."

17 notices did go out, says Health P.E.I.

Karla Bernard, the re-elected Green MLA for Charlottetown-Victoria Park, said she doesn't understand why the Evangeline closure wasn't announced and yet Kingdid say during the campaign that if re-elected, a PC governmentwould movethe proposed location of thecontroversial supervised injection site in her district.

PC candidate Tim Keizeralso said during a public meeting on March 8 that the incumbent government, which chose a location in Belmont Street, was planning to find a new site.

"The premier finds that it's perfectly acceptable to make an announcement about a health-care service in the middle of the election that is very district-specific and that will win him political points. And this is my hugest fear with a Conservative government, is that they pull these political stunts hoping no one will notice," Bernard said.

"How convenient is that, that a government can keep that information under wraps and allow their candidates to continue like everything is fine in that community, when clearly it's not? ... This is a question about political will, political interference and health care and safety, and the health of Islanders. And I find this extremely shocking and disappointing."

A spokesperson with the Department of Health said 17 public notices were sent out by Health P.E.I. during the election, most of them about ER closures and COVID-19 outbreaks.

The department official says while a release on the closure of the Evangeline health centre's clinic was delayed until after the election,the information did go up on the centre's website before that.