The Premier of B.C. is turning heads after a rather heated exchange over family doctor shortages while in Question Period in the B.C. Legislature Monday (April 25).
At the time of the incident, B.C. Liberal MLAs were pointing to Health Minister Adrian Dix and Premier John Horgan for inaction in response to a report that has found one-in-five British Columbians currently don’t have a family doctor.
“A million British Columbians are without a family doctor, and that is not acceptable,” Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford could be heard saying.
“When will this premier step up in this house and give British Columbians the reassurance they need that they will be supported by a family doctor?”
Horgan responded, asking: “Do you want to hear it man, or do you just want to hear your voice? Why don’t you go in the bathroom and talk to yourself in there, because you don’t want to hear answers in this place.”
In clips showing the end of the exchange, Horgan can be seen waving his hand dismissively and says “Aw f—-.”
A 10-minute recess was called by House Speaker Raj Chouhan shortly after.
Since the afternoon debate, the Liberals have asked for an apology, while Horgan took to Twitter acknowledging the slip-up, writing: “If my mom was still around, she’d be on her way to the Legislature with a bar of Irish Spring.”
An online petition calling on the province to take action on the doctor shortage has been signed by more 31,000 people since it was launched three months ago.
Victoria and Kelowna residents face the longest wait times to access doctors via walk-in clinics, according to a report last week from Medimap, a Canadian tech company that allows patients to see wait times at various clinics virtually and in some regions check in virtually, as well.
If my mom was still around, she'd be on her way to the Legislature with a bar of Irish Spring. pic.twitter.com/T27OxScmH8
— John Horgan (@jjhorgan) April 25, 2022
@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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