Jane Philpott speaks at an event in Markham, Ont., on May 27, 2019.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has appointed former federal Liberal cabinet minister Jane Philpott to lead a new primary care team to connect every person in the province with a family doctor, as the government looks to tackle what experts call a crisis in the health care system.
Dr. Philpott, a family physician and former health minister in Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, said her appointment by the Progressive Conservatives may catch a few people by surprise but she is no longer a member of any political party and believes the government is serious about addressing the problem.
“Canadians are not interested partisan politics when it comes to health care. They want health care fixed. It should not be a political issue; it should not be a political football,” Dr. Philpott said in an interview on Monday.
The appointment is intended to close the gap for the estimated 10 per cent of Ontarians who aren’t linked to a primary health care team, the government said. But Dr. Philpott and others put the number much higher, estimating that 2.5 million Ontarians do not have a family doctor nor any other access to primary care, and that number is projected to grow to 4.4 million people in 2026.
The announcement was made as the Ontario Legislature resumed after an extended summer break and as the government considers an early election call.
Mr. Ford’s government has faced criticism from advocates and opposition parties about a lack of access to family doctors.
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Dr. Philpott said she has been clear with the government about the “magnitude of resources” that will be needed, including several hundred millions of dollars in health funding redirected to primary care, as well as integration across ministries.
“I’ve been told that the government is very serious about this so I certainly will be continuing to push for the appropriate investments and make sure we can deliver,” she said.
Dr. Philpott, who recently wrote a book on the subject, has shared her vision for a “health home in every community,” where every person is attached to a primary care clinician who works with other health professionals in a publicly funded team. She likens it to every child being assigned to a public school in their neighbourhood.
She said one of her first orders of businesses is to map out where in the province the needs are the greatest.
In some cases, it may involve adding resources to currently existing primary care providers and teams. In others, where they may be tens of thousands of people who lack access to care, it would be to add new primary care teams, infrastructure and personnel to communities, she said.
She said she knows she’ll have to demonstrate real action very soon and wants to present a vision within the first 100 days, with a plan for the next two to three years, including benchmarks to indicate progress.
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones said her government began expanding primary health teams in January, 2023, and Dr. Philpott’s appointment is a continuation of that.
Asked if she will follow Dr. Philpott’s recommendations, Ms. Jones said her government is working closely with her. “Yes, together we will get this done,” she said.
Dominik Nowak, a family physician and president of the Ontario Medical Association, called Dr. Philpott’s appointment a “step in the right direction” and a sign of optimism, but said change needs to come faster.
“We have a system in crisis,” he told reporters at Queen’s Park.
Dr. Nowak said doctors currently face red tape akin to 19 hours a week of unnecessary administrative tasks that could be fixed by implementing a centralized referral system.
Dr. Philpott quit Mr. Trudeau’s cabinet in 2019 over the handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair. Since 2020, she has served as Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Family Medicine at Queen’s University, and will be stepping down from the role to take her new job with Ontario on Dec. 1. The government said her salary will be commensurate to what she was paid at Queen’s. In 2023, she earned around $546,000.
Dr. Philpott spoke about health care at the Ontario Liberal convention this summer. She said she has considered going back to politics but “at the moment it doesn’t seem like politics is the right path for me.”
Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie said Monday that it was an option for Dr. Philpott to run for her party. She said she’s delighted that Dr. Philpott took on the health care role but cast doubt that the government will follow her recommendations. “It will be another high-profile appointee, another report that will get written that will be ignored,” Ms. Crombie told reporters.