Deb Matthews heads in to the Ontario Legislature to be sworn in as Minister of Children and Youth Services on Oct. 30, 2007.Tibor Kolley/The Globe and Mail
I'm a big fan of Deb Matthews, the new Ontario Health Minister. She'll be a breath of fresh air in a department that needs to be cleaned like the Augean stables.
Deb has the resume for the job. Politically, she is an old pro. Deb was the co-chair of the 1987 Liberal campaign that won a record number of seats for the Grits. She served as president of the Ontario Liberal Party, and is in touch will the grassroots more than most ministers.
But that experience just means she knows where politics ends and where the public interest and polocy comes first. She has no time for silly games or power plays.
Her credentials for the job come from her ability to manage complex and difficult assignments, specifically the government's poverty reduction plan. The work blew the socks off the Premier and won over a lot of activists.
She is also a PhD with extensive experience in the construction industry. Someone who knows the building trades intimately will be at a huge advantage in containing spiralling health infrastructure costs.
Apparently, her marching orders are a "laserlike in her focus on 1) ER wait times; 2) getting Ontarians more access to docs and nurses."
These are the things people worry about. Will my kid have to wait for hours in the emergency room? Will my dad have a doctor after his retires next year?
The eHealth project has not been the McGuinty government's finest hour. But Deb Matthews' appointment makes me think its best hour is still to come.