On November 29, GSL Director Steven Hoffman was quoted in a Toronto Star article discussing the role and conduct of the current chief medical officer of health (CMOH) for the province of Ontario, Dr. David Williams. The article came after an auditor general report last week found that the CMOH wasn’t involved enough in the COVID-19 response and calls for Williams’ resignation started to grow.
In the article, Hoffman explained that people often misunderstand the role of the CMOH. Ontarians expect the CMOH to be a public advocate when, in reality, he is a quasi-government spokesperson:
“When you’re expected to be an executive responsible for program delivery … it then becomes untenable to effectively do that while simultaneously criticizing your own government. I think that what a lot of criticism doesn’t realize is how difficult it is to be a chief medical officer of health in Ontario, where the role is designed in such a way that it makes it very difficult to be a leader that stands separate from the government of the day.”
Read the full article here.
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