EDMONTON — An adviser to the Alberta government on health policy quit her post Monday after it was revealed she was also a lobbyist for a United States drug giant.
Fred Horne, co-chair of the ministerial Advisory Committee on Health, said he was told Patricia Bayne had resigned, three days after the opposition NDP revealed she was a registered lobbyist for Eli Lily.
The governing Conservatives said they knew all along Bayne was working for the U.S. pharmaceutical conglomerate, but noted that her committee work was invaluable and wasn’t skewed or influenced by her lobbyist job.
Horne said there was no pressure for her to go, but she left anyway.
“The committee isn’t writing (health) legislation. That’s what government does,” he said.
“As much as she wants to contribute her expertise and knowledge as part of this work, she doesn’t want in any way to have her participation on this advisory committee jeopardize the credibility of the committee. To her credit, she’s thinking about the big picture.
“I respect her decision, but I do so with considerable regret.”
The NDP revealed last Thursday that Bayne was registered with the provincial lobbyist registry, and called for her to step down over a conflict of interest.
Horne said Bayne was a key source of information, given her doctorate in community planning and her work on women’s health programs, elder care, and a framework for osteoporosis management.
Horne also suggested the lobbyist label was an unfair smear.
“The fact someone works for an organization that does appear in the lobbyist registry does not exclude them (from a panel),” said Horne.
“And any organization that is (on the lobbyist list) is merely fulfilling their obligation to disclose that they’re actively in discussions with government about issues in which they have a legitimate interest.
“The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta is a registered lobbyist organization,” he added. “You know no one has raised any concern about the College of Physicians and Surgeons participating in these discussions.”
The committee was struck last September to help the government harmonize and streamline the web of rules and regulations governing health delivery. Its members have a mix of skills, including expertise in health delivery, strategic planning, and labour relations.
NDP Leader Brian Mason has alleged the government snuck Bayne onto the committee and kept her background quiet so it could further its agenda of health-care privatization.
The committee’s website, for example, does not say Bayne is a lobbyist, but notes “she has almost 10 years of experience in policy and reimbursement for the pharmaceutical industry.”
Horne said the NDP’s covert privatization theory isn’t true.
“That simply doesn’t hold water,” he said.
Horne said he and Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky have decided to not name a replacement, and will leave the post vacant.