British Columbia's health minister is attempting to distance herself from a committee chaired by B.C. Liberal caucus members who've been holding consultations about the future of Burnaby Hospital after documents were leaked that show party insiders discussing ways to use the committee to score votes.
The Opposition NDP has obtained a letter from three people with close ties to the Liberal party urging the government to seize on the future of the hospital in an effort to gain votes and possibly "deliver a new seat" for the Liberals in Burnaby.
Among their suggestions was a committee to "engage and consult the public" about what to do with the aging hospital, which has led to debate over possible upgrades and expansions for more than a decade.
Four months later, Liberal caucus members Harry Bloy and Richard Lee announced the Burnaby Hospital community consultation committee at a news conference alongside the health minister at the time, Mike de Jong. The commit-tee's "citizen chair" would be Pamela Gardner, a former B.C. Liberal riding association president, they announced.
The leaked documents and the heavy presence of Liberals on the committee have prompted accusations of political interference from the New Democrats, who say any reports from the committee should be ignored.
But Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid insists the committee has nothing to do with her ministry, the Fraser Health Authority or any part of the formal planning process. The health authority is preparing a master capital plan to oversee any upgrades or expansions.
"[The committee] was separate from government - they [Bloy and Lee] decided that they wanted to do it," MacDiarmid said in an interview Monday.
"Nobody was less than supportive, but it wasn't government-sponsored. There hasn't been any public funds that have gone to it."
MacDiarmid insisted any decisions about the hospital will be based on good policy, not good politics.
"I believe Fraser Health will have a look at it, but the actual planning, that's a formal process led by the health authority with people who have real expertise," she said.
De Jong, Bloy and Lee announced the committee at the same April 27 news conference in which de Jong outlined Fraser Health's capital planning process for the hospital.
Bloy posted photos and a news release about the committee on his website under the heading "B.C. Government Caucus News Releases." The news release said the committee would work "co-operatively with Fraser Health" on the capital plan.
In June, when Burnaby's mayor, Derek Corrigan, said the committee wasn't part of the official planning process, one of the committee's members, Thomas Tam, said that was incorrect.
Tam wrote a letter to the Burnaby News Leader insisting his group was an official committee that was "empowered" by the health minister to consult with the public.
The leaked documents suggest another motive for the committee. The NDP is pointing to a three-page letter from December of last year signed by Gardner; Brian Bonney, a government communications director; and Mark Robertson, who currently works for the Liberal party.
The document, which the NDP says was distributed among government staffers, argued supporting improvements to Burnaby Hospital could boost the Liberal party's fortunes in the next provincial election, particularly when it comes to the Burnaby-Deer Lake riding held by NDP MLA Kathy Corrigan.
