The premier says it was a procedural error that left the privacy commissioner without access to Bill 20 before it appeared in the House of Assembly.

Andrew Furey says he’s glad to have received the letter from the privacy commissioner so they could rectify it and that Michael Harvey is meeting with department officials for a full briefing on the bill.

He calls it a “human procedural error”, and says it was an oversight with no “nefarious” reasons behind it.

Meanwhile, Furey addressed concerns voiced by NDP interim leader Jim Dinn, surrounding his connection to Sequence Bio and if the Premier had anything to gain through the legislation. Furey calls that a “quantum leap”.

He says his interest in Sequence Bio was put in blind trust in 2020, meaning he has no idea if he has shares in the company anymore. He calls Dinn’s words “smear tactics”.

Health Minister Responds to Questions About Bill 20 in HoA

Health Minister Tom Osborne blames unintentional oversight as the reason why the Privacy Commissioner wasn’t provided an opportunity to review Bill 20, a substantive piece of legislation related to the merger of the province’s four regional health authorities into one.

Privacy Commissioner Michael Harvey’s concerns were raised in the House of Assembly this afternoon by Opposition House Leader Barry Petten.

Health Minister Tom Osborne blames the issue on an “unintentional oversight” by a “dedicated, well-qualified individual in the department.” He says ultimately he takes responsibility for the oversight and says meetings with the Privacy Commissioner on the matter have been productive.