EDMONTON - The “chief architect of privatization” has become Alberta’s health minister after years of behind-the-scenes work with former health ministers, including ones pushing the Third Way, critics charge.

But Fred Horne, who says he was excited and humbled to receive his first cabinet post under Premier Alison Redford, said he knows nothing of such claims and aims to give Albertans what they want: access to doctors for families, seniors and the mentally ill.

“I haven’t been involved (with privatization),” said Horne, 50, who has been described as a soft-spoken, ambitious and smart health policy consultant. He became an MLA in March 2008.

He worked under former health ministers Gene Zwozdesky and Ron Liepert after a decade of contract work with their predecessors Gary Mar, Iris Evans and Dave Hancock.

“Our premier has made it very clear we’re here in support of the publicly funded health-care system,” said Horne, who led public consultations for the new health act and the department’s advisory committee on health.

“(Albertans) want us to get back to basics … to focus on things like primary care — so how you get into the front door of the health system — continuing care for seniors and mental health.”

Horne said public health isn’t “necessarily” about money or institutions.

“It’s about people and families and communities and making sure there’s a strong health infrastructure in each local community.”

But Liberal Leader Dr. Raj Sherman said Albertans should be concerned with Horne’s appointment.

“We’ve got the chief architect of the PC privatization plan coming back to finish the job in health care,” said Sherman, a former Tory who served as parliamentary assistant on health until he was replaced by Horne.

Sherman was thrown out of the Progressive Conservative caucus last year after criticizing its handling of health — and after a whisper campaign that became public when Horne called psychiatrist Patrick White to discuss Sherman’s behaviour.

Horne and White, then-president of the Alberta Medical Association, both said they were motivated by friendship and concern, not politics.

Sherman said that while he was still in the inner circle, Horne presented an internal report discussing options for private health insurance, delisting procedures and allowing doctors to work in the public and private systems.

Sherman said he expressed shock over the document he described as equivalent to the “Third Way,” or privatization of health care, ditched by former premier Ralph Klein because of strong public backlash.

“Fred was doing all the work at agenda and policies (committee), all the things that have happened in health care at a time when we had the highest spending, the worst performance, crisis to crisis year after year,” Sherman said Wednesday. He said Zwozdesky should stay as health minister and Jay Ramatar as deputy health minister.

“It took me about 10 months to get them both trained up about what the real problems in health care were all about, and Fred was one of the problems,” said Sherman.

NDP Leader Brian Mason had similar qualms about Horne.

“He is the author of the plan for more private health-care delivery that this government has been following by stealth,” Mason said.

David Eggen, executive director of Friends of Medicare, surmised Horne either coined or aggressively promoted the term “publicly funded health care” rather than true public health care. The former leaves wide open options of publicly funded health services delivered by private companies under contract.

“We’ll be watching carefully,” Eggen said. “If they want health to be an asset to their political future and not this huge ball and chain, then they have to make a break from the past five years.”

But Redford said she chose Horne because he offers some continuity with the past.

“Continuity doesn’t mean things are going to stay exactly the same, but it does mean we have moved away from upheaval,” said Redford, describing Horne as passionate, honourable and well connected.

“We’re going to try to take the politics out of this. We’ve got to take the heat out of this. We’ve got to get this to a point where everybody is being honest in the conversation about what we’re trying to achieve, and I think this minister will represent this very well.”

jsinnema@edmontonjournal.com

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