New Brunswick·NewReaction is mixed to changes proposed by the Liberal government to the way New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health is hired, fired, directed and held accountable. Medical society welcomes changes while government opposition more criticalJennifer Sweet · CBC News · Posted: Oct 25, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesHealth Minister John Dornan says New Brunswickers want public health decisions rooted in science, not politics. (Victoria Walton/CBC)Reaction is mixed to amendments proposed by the Holt government to the way New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health is hired, fired, directed and held accountable.Health Minister John Dornan introduced a bill this week that would see cabinet appoint the health officer, from a list of suggested candidates, and have authority to fire that person with cause. Dr. Yves Léger has held the Public Health post since 2023. Currently, the position is filled by appointment by the minister of health. The bill would also require that any government directives to the chief medical officer be put in writing and give the officer discretion to have those directives made public in the official government publication, the Royal Gazette.The chief medical officer would also be required to submit annual reports that contain things such as notifiable diseases and events, outbreaks investigated, public health emergencies, inspections and vaccinations.“This bill delivers on our promise to put trusted, independent expertise at the heart of how we protect our communities,” Dornan said in a news release.”New Brunswickers deserve public health decisions rooted in science, not politics,” he said.Dr. Lise Babin, the president of the New Brunswick Medical Society, says she thinks the proposed changes would reduce the risk of political interference. (New Brunswick Medical Society)The New Brunswick Medical Society is welcomed the proposed changes.Its president, Dr. Lise Babin, said she thinks they would reduce the risk of political interference.“It’s a complex job and they make very difficult decisions and sometimes those decisions can be unpopular with the public and can be very challenging for elected officials as well,” she said.The proposed legislation does not say the chief medical officer can ignore government directives, but Babin hopes the transparency mechanisms will prevent any directives that are not rooted in scientific evidence.“I think it gives a certain protection.”This kind of legislation would have been helpful to have during the pandemic, Babin said.“We saw what happened with vaccine recommendations and all that.”PC Leader Glen Savoie says cabinet could be expected to rubber-stamp whatever candidate the health minister recommended for the Public Health post and would also have flexibility deciding what constituted cause for firing. (Silas Brown/CBC)She hopes it will help rebuild public trust in the public health office.“We have a long ways to go,” she said.The Opposition Progressive Conservatives are challenging the idea that the amendments would improve independence.PC Leader Glen Savoie said cabinet could be expected to rubber stamp whatever candidate the minister of health recommended and would have a considerable amount of flexibility to determine what constituted cause for firing.PC health critic Bill Hogan supported the idea of requiring cause for dismissal but said he didn’t see the point of giving cabinet authority over that. (Ed Hunter/CBC)PC health critic Bill Hogan supported the idea of requiring cause for dismissal but said he didn’t see the point of giving cabinet authority over that.“I think it makes it more political,” he said.“It seems to me the premier is trying to consolidate power in her office.”Savoie and Hogan said they thought there were more pressing problems in the health care system that deserve attention, such as hospital crowding and recruitment of medical professionals.Green Leader David Coon said the amendments would accomplish “very little,” and the government missed an opportunity to rebuild the chief medical officer’s mandate, staff and funding for things such as disease prevention.Green Leader David Coon said the government missed an opportunity to rebuild the chief medical officer’s mandate. (Silas Brown/CBC)When Dr. Eilish Cleary was fired without cause, Coon said, her teams were dismantled and Public Health was subsequently “buried deep in the bowels” of the Health Department, under an executive director, assistant deputy minister, deputy minister and the minister of health.“These were the people who used to work for the chief medical officer of health,” he said. “They’re not independent.”Lack of independence and funding are making it difficult to recruit and retain people to the position, he said.“We are bleeding good people and we’re not able to recruit good people to replace them.”ABOUT THE AUTHORJennifer Sweet has been telling the stories of New Brunswickers for over 20 years. She is originally from Bathurst, got her journalism degree from Carleton University and is based in Fredericton. She can be reached at 451-4176 or jennifer.sweet@cbc.ca.With files from Jacques Poitras and Information Morning Fredericton
Bill that would see N.B. cabinet appoint chief health officer draws mixed reaction
