The BC Legislature ended with jeers and shouting yesterday afternoon after Premier David Eby took a few potshots at the North Island’s Anna Kindy, who is the Official Opposition health critic.
“I can’t let her stand up here and pretend she cares about women and babies because it simply isn’t true,” he said, making sure he got the last word in Wednesday’s Question Period session.
Kindy and other MLAs can be heard shouting in the background during his statement, before the recording stops.
The exchange was the culmination of 10 minutes of Health Minister Josie Osborne getting grilled by Opposition MLAs about recent staffing issues at Vancouver General Hospital, which was unable to accept pregnant trauma patients from February 26 to March 2.
“How did BC’s largest hospital turn away expectant mothers in trauma for four entire days while this government hid it from British Columbians?” asked Courtenay-Comox MLA Brennan Day, sparking the discussion.
Osborne replied by saying nothing was hidden. She downplayed the issue, pointing out that VGH is “not a place where people go routinely to have babies.”
She admitted there is a shortage of on-call services for obstetrics, but said the ministry is working to hire more staff.
“Every pregnant patient who calls 911 who needs the ER will have the services delivered for them,” she said.
Kelowna and Maple Ridge MLAs pressured Osborne with the same question, calling for her to resign or be fired over the issue.
Kindy, a physician and addictions doctor who practiced in Port Hardy and Campbell River for more than 30 years, wasn’t satisfied with Osborne’s answers either.
“We’re talking about level one trauma. We’re talking about women who are pregnant that get into car accidents and need timely care. It’s about life and death for woman and child,” she said. “We’re talking about the only level one trauma hospital in Canada without obstetrical care.
“So my question. Because it’s never been more dangerous to be a woman looking for access and care in this province: will this premier do his job, and stand up for pregnant women in BC?”
Eby rose to answer the question, using his time to take credit for building or renovating 17 hospitals, including six projects which were underway before the NDP ousted the BC Liberals in 2017. He then tried to imply Kindy was responsible for measles outbreaks and vaccine hesitancy because she participated in a 2024 conference in Victoria featuring “Vaccine Choice Canada” president Ted Kuntz as a speaker.
An infuriated Kindy can be heard trying to respond in the background as Eby finished his statement, but Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Raj Chouhan cut off debate and ended the session without giving her a chance to reply.
Kindy has clarified multiple times that she is not against vaccines. She says her position is that people should not lose jobs or rights due to vaccination status, and that informed consent and patient autonomy are crucial in medical decisions.
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