Former Quebec health minister deflects blame at coroner's inquiry into deaths at long-term care homes
CBC
Former Quebec health minister Danielle McCann testified today that cuts from the previous Liberal government may have hampered the ability of local health agencies to ensure that seniors' residences were prepared for a pandemic.
McCann told a coroner's inquiry into the deaths of seniors at long-term care homes during the first wave of the pandemic that local health agencies were ultimately responsible for their residents' health and safety.
The inquiry is looking into the thousands of deaths that occurred in seniors' residences in the spring of 2020.
McCann is the only elected official who will testify before the inquiry, where she's being forced to defend the province's preparations for the first wave.
A few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, McCann was replaced as health minister by Christian Dubé. She is now the province's higher education minister.
At the beginning of her testimony McCann told coroner Géhane Kamel that the inquiry's work was "very important" and that she would answer all questions.
During McCann's testimony Kamel at one point noted that most long-term care homes weren't ready when the pandemic hit.
"Whose responsibility was this?" Kamel asked.
"The CEOs," McCann replied, referring to the heads of local health agencies across the province.
"The CEOs had to put the plan in motion and provide for all the components that are included in the plan, to have the equipment," McCann testified.
"They were well placed to redeploy resources from other sectors of their agencies," she continued.
Kamel also noted previous testimony from front-line health-care workers in long-term care residences, who said they didn't get much guidance or training at the height of the crisis, and that there was no clear "chain of command."
McCann said she too had heard that from workers on the ground.
"The fact that there wasn't a sufficient hierarchical level of manager who was dedicated to these CHSLDs was a major factor for me," she said.
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