New mental health and addictions portfolio just a meaningless shuffle, says opposition

In a cabinet shuffle last week, Newfoundland and Labrador became the eighth province in Canada to introduce a mental health and addictions portfolio, but the leaders of the province's opposition parties say the provincial Liberal government has simply added more bureaucracy.

On Friday, former infrastructure and transportation minister John Abbott was sworn in as the province's first minister of mental health and addictions, adding it to his responsibilities as housing minister.

PC Leader Tony Wakeham says more resources are needed, not just a new title.

"Creating more bureaucracy simply doesn't appear to be what you ought to be looking at. It's about putting more resources in so people can get direct help that they need. And housing is only one part of that," Wakeham said.

NDP Leader Jim Dinn questioned adding the responsibilities to the new dedicated Housing Department.

"A few short months ago, the premier created a stand-alone portfolio on housing to show how important it was," said Dinn.

Abbott has told CBC News he will be available to discuss his new responsibilities later Wednesday.

New ministry, new idea?

The provincial government announced the stand-alone Housing Department of Housing. At the time, a ministry of mental health and addictions in the province wasn't on the horizon.

In February,days before the Department of Housing was introduced, Tom Osborne, health minister at the time, was asked by Saltwire for his thoughts on having a department dedicated to mental health and addictions in N.L.

He said it was the first time he'd been asked that question.

"I'd have to do some analysis and further expand on the answer, but my initial response is we're working to remove the stigma and say health care is health care," Osborne, who has since retired from provincial politics, said at the time.

The PCs and NDP were against a new department at the time with the PCs critical of the prospect of more bureacracy and the NDP not in favour of separating mental health from health in general and four months later, their positions are the same.

On Monday, Wakeham said the province has other issues to discuss, like the thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who don't have a family doctor or the seniors struggling to afford their medications.

"There are lots of issues that we ought to be talking about, and simply creating new departments, in my opinion, doesn't do that."

Dinn said mental health and physical health are interconnected.

"The fact that the premier has now separated those two, I can't help but think it's going to create a lot more bureaucratic slowdowns."

He also questioned the new department's leadership, noting the provincial government's dismantling of a tent encampment in St. John's earlier this year.

"In charge of this new portfolio, you have a minister who only a little while ago evicted people from Tent City without any real options, housing options," Dinn said.

In the shuffle, the Transportation and Infrastructure Department also added a new responsibility: rural economic development.

"It's like taking a deck of cards, reshuffling your card and hoping you get a better hand. Because at the end of the day, what we've seen is a premier who obviously lost confidence in his ministers and their portfolios," Wakeham said.

Dinn said it's like "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic."

"They've been taking hits in the elections and in public opinion," he said. "And I guess this is designed to give the impression that the premier is actually in control and that the Liberals are on top of their game."

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