More than five years after being expelled from caucus in the aftermath of the SNC-Lavalin scandal, former Liberal health minister Jane Philpott is leaving open the possibility of returning to politics.
Philpott was asked about his future in an interview that aired on CBC on Saturday. The House.
“If the right avenues were open for me to return to political office, then of course I would consider it,” she told host Catherine Cullen.
In the interview, Philpott spoke about his new book, “Health For All,” and said he would not seek reappointment as dean of health sciences at Queen’s University when his current term ends in June, but that he would like to remain involved in health policy.
The House25:45Does Canada have the political will to improve health care?
In the final installment of our Book Smart Summer series, GP and former Liberal Health Minister Jane Philpott speaks to Catherine Cullen about her prescription for a better primary health care system in her book, Health For All.
“It’s possible that I could have a role in government one day, but I’m still exploring what that might look like,” she said.
Philpott was elected Member of Parliament for Markham-Stouffville in 2015 and appointed Minister of Health, before moving to Indigenous Services in a cabinet reshuffle in 2017.
She subsequently criticised the government’s response to the SNC-Lavalin scandal and resigned from her cabinet position in March 2019. A month later, she was expelled from the Liberal caucus along with her colleague Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.
Philpott was a close aide to former Justice Minister and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould, a central figure in the SNC-Lavalin scandal. Testifying before a House of Commons committee in 2019, Wilson-Raybould said that 11 officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and other government agencies improperly pressured her to reverse a decision to prosecute SNC-Lavalin on bribery charges related to the Libya contract.
Mr Philpott ran as an independent candidate in the 2019 federal election but lost to New Liberal candidate Helena Jaczek.
Philpott said: The House She acknowledged that politics is a profession that depends on many circumstances, including timing, but she would not rule out the possibility of a return.
Philpott is also scheduled to address the Ontario Liberal caucus. The meeting It will be held in London, Ontario in September.
“Health For All” focuses on Canada’s primary care system and the role of politics in changing health policy. When asked about her tenure as federal health minister, she pointed to accomplishments on drug policy and medical assisted dying.
“If I could have been there one more time, I wish I could have taken the next step and continued my work on access to primary care, which is my greatest passion,” she said.
“No matter how fast I move, I can’t move fast enough to solve all the problems, and I didn’t achieve everything I wanted to.”
