When Saskatchewan’s health minister Lorne Calvert collapsed last week from exhaustion, some of our staff probably pondered what influence we had on him.
Calvert’s health temporarily gave way while he was doing a television interview at Victoria Union Hospital in Prince Albert, Sask.
What connection did we have with the misfortune?
Calvert had set for himself during the week an ambitious schedule of canvassing the media outlets in the province.
Recently appointed to his position, Calvert arranged to meet with various editorial boards to discuss his plans for health in the province. He promised to be candid and allow everything to be on the record.
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Earlier in the week we had helped set his itinerary. Our paper assembled several staff to question the minister, beginning at 9 a.m., and Calvert planned to leave for La Ronge after our meeting.
The hour of questions didn’t appear to faze the minister, but then again it wasn’t exactly the Spanish Inquisition. There were no wild accusations, passionate denials or earth-shattering insights gained on the minister’s mandate.
Calvert clearly planned to continue following the health system blueprint established by his predecessor, Louise Simard.
However, the meeting did allow our staff the chance to meet the minister, discuss government plans, and gain our own impressions on his ability to do the job.
It is doubtful any single question from our intrepid staff triggered his later exhaustion, but the meeting contributed to an already packed agenda.
While we wish him a speedy recovery, we also wonder what would have happened if he had collapsed in an isolated rural area that was going through health changes or cuts, rather than so near the emergency services of an urban hospital.
Such an experience would have clearly made more of an impression on him than our questions ever could.
