On December 5, 2022, MPP Bhutila Karpoche and NDP Health critic France Gélinas brought forward a bill to make Ontario’s top doctor an independent officer of the legislature.
Currently, the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health is accountable to both the Minister of Health and to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Ontario is the only province where this is the case.
If passed, the Public Health Accountability Act (In Honour of Dr. Sheela Basrur) would also strike a select committee in the event of a public health emergency. The committee would provide a forum for elected officials to ask questions of and hear directly from the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
Read the full bill here.
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