The Ontario NDP is urging Premier Doug Ford to fire Health Minister Sylvia Jones due to her remarks suggesting the province is not facing challenges in recruiting or retaining family doctors.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles criticized the government at Queen’s Park on Monday, accusing it of ignoring problems in the health-care system. “When a government says it’s not a major concern, they’re pretending nothing is wrong,” Stiles said. She demanded immediate action and called for a new health minister, insisting that Jones should be dismissed.
The controversy arose after Jones and her ministry suggested during negotiations with the Ontario Medical Association that recruitment and retention of doctors were “not a major concern.” This claim, made public in the ministry’s arbitration submission, was supported by data showing an 8.9% increase in the number of doctors from 2019-20 to 2023-24, compared to a 7.1% population growth.
Following the backlash, Jones clarified that the ministry acknowledged the importance of Ontario physicians and would continue efforts to grow the workforce. She denied downplaying the issue of doctor shortages.
Opposition politicians criticized the government’s stance, accusing it of minimizing health-care system problems. During question period, Stiles repeatedly questioned Ford on whether he would support Jones or ask her to step down. Ford defended his government’s health-care investments and highlighted new medical university projects aimed at increasing the number of primary care doctors.
A petition by the Ontario Union of Family Physicians calling for Jones’s removal had over 2,100 signatures by Monday afternoon. In response, a spokesperson for Jones criticized previous NDP and Liberal governments for cutting residency positions, firing nurses, and closing hospitals. The spokesperson accused the NDP of opposing innovations in the health-care system.
While the Ontario Liberals called for more transparency and accountability from Jones, they did not explicitly demand her resignation. Liberal MPP and health critic Adil Shamji emphasized the need for Jones to take responsibility and address health-care worker attrition and privatization issues. Fellow Liberal MPP John Fraser urged Jones to recognize the problem and act accordingly, suggesting that someone else might need to step in if she could not.
