Mr. Speaker, I am trying to approach this request as clearly as possible, so if I could ask for your indulgence, Mr. Speaker, I am just trying to get an answer to my question. I do know the House needs accurate information
I would like to quote from September 9 unedited transcript, in reference to my question, in which I asked the Minister of Health about the procedures used by the Medical Board of Inquiries, established under the Medical Profession Act. I would respectfully draw your attention to the fact that my question would not be referring to the substance of the matter before such a body, and I asked him a question which certainly would be within the realm of his knowledge, since he had set up the board of inquiry.
Mr. Speaker, section 26 of the Act provided that a Board of Inquiry under the Medical Profession Act, must with all due dispatch, conduct a hearing to investigate matters referred to it. Can the Minister advise this House whether his department has bothered to develop standards for this process?
At the time, Mr. Speaker, the Minister responded that the board of inquiry was an independent procedure which would prescribe review the same way that doctors and other professionals discipline themselves. It is not something that is geared by the government, the Minister of the department, and Mr. Speaker, the answer the Minister gave to the Member's question is no, the department has not provided direction or standards about the time frame of the board of inquiry, that will be up to the President of the board of inquiry, Doctor Earle Covert, so I was told on September 9.
I found out yesterday that, contrary to what the Minister told me, has happened. I would like to ask the Minister, where is his department's role; why is his department's role being involved in this matter, when he indicated to this House that it is to be totally independent, not steered by government, the Minister of the department. Thank you.