Executive Council
May 30, 2007

Provincial Government Prepares for Commission of Inquiry and
Announces New Task Force on Health System

Premier Danny Williams announced today that Robert Thompson will effective immediately assume the role as Secretary to Cabinet for the Management of Health Issues. In this role, Mr. Thompson will chair a task force on the management of adverse health events and the related dissemination of public information. This task force will extend beyond hormone receptor testing and will examine how the health system identifies, evaluates, responds and communicates in regard to adverse events in the health system which may compromise the health of patients in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In this position, Mr. Thompson will assume responsibility for preparing the provincial government for full and open participation in the upcoming Commission of Inquiry on Hormone Receptor Testing.

"The revelations of the last two weeks have no doubt affected public confidence in how the health system in our province operates and how the public is kept informed on issues of importance," said Premier Williams. "As such, today I am announcing that we have appointed the province�s most senior public servant to provide leadership in the management of adverse health events, and to also work to ensure that government�s participation in the Commission of Inquiry is fully accountable and transparent."

Mr. Thompson will undertake all preparations for the inquiry from the province�s perspective and will make recommendations to Cabinet on how government can respond to issues raised by the inquiry.

"I look forward to Mr. Thompson�s leadership in his new role and am confident that his work will assist in helping to restore faith in our health care system," added the Premier.

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Media contact:
Elizabeth Matthews
Office of the Premier
709-729-3960, 709-351-1227
elizabethmatthews@gov.nl.ca

Biography

Robert Thompson
Secretary to Cabinet for Health Issues

Robert Thompson has served for the last three and a half years as the Clerk of the Executive Council and Secretary to the Cabinet. Prior to that he served as Deputy Minister of the departments of Health and Community Services, and Tourism, Culture and Recreation. In his career with the provincial government, he has also served as Assistant Secretary to Cabinet for Economic Policy and has held management positions with the Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat, the Department of Education, the Department of Career Development and Advanced Studies, and the Department of Rural, Agricultural and Northern Development.

Mr. Thompson is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland (Political Science), with graduate studies at York University (Public Administration) and Memorial University (Business Administration). He serves as a Director of the Canadian Policy Research Networks, and he is the Chair of the Board of Directors of Shallaway: Newfoundland and Labrador Youth in Chorus. He has served on the boards of Canada Health Infoway Inc., the Canadian Tourism Commission, the Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership, the Special Celebrations Corporation, the Credit Union Stabilization Fund and the St. John�s Downtown Development Corporation. Mr. Thompson resides with his wife, Wanda, and their daughter, Emily, in St. John�s.

2007 05 30                                             10:30 a.m.

 


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