Page - 169 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

169Good Governance: Institutions, Processes, and People there were. Rather, it is whether they were the right mistakes in light of imperfect information.12 Consider the role of daily press conferences. The Prime Minister and Premiers are expected to demonstrate leadership. Some have done much better than anyone might have expected. For instance, Premier Doug Ford of Ontario has used his simple, “man-of-the-people” com- munication style to great effect and been praised from all sides.13 Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has for the moment put aside the inter-party rivalry of federal/provincial relations.14 And Prime Minister Trudeau has played multiple roles, building confidence and calming the public all while delivering policy and programs to deal with the crisis. The Chief Medical Officers of Health have also played a crucial role—with most doing very well. In several cases, political leaders have taken a back seat to let their respective Chief Medical Officer of Health play a leadership role. Similarly, although Tina Namieskowski is the President of the Public Health Agency of Canada, she is not playing a public role, leaving confidence-building to Canada’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Theresa Tam. At the provincial and local levels, Chief Medical Officers of Health who have performed in stel- lar fashion include Dr. Eileen de Villa (Toronto), Dr. Deena Hinshaw (Alberta), and Dr. Bonnie Henry (British Columbia).15 Conversely, Premier Ford has called out some local Chief Medical Officers of Health who have not taken the initiative to promote testing or deal with the long-term care facilities in their regions.16 In some cases, pro- vincial counterparts have been criticized for being off message and insensitive to the evident data.17 12. See Vanessa MacDonnell, this volume, Chapter B-1. 13. Marie Henein, “My Uncomfortable Reality: Doug Ford is the Leader Ontario Needs”, The Globe  and  Mail  (9 April 2020), online: <www.theglobeandmail.com/ opinion/article-my-uncomfortable-reality-doug-ford-is-the-leader-ontario- needs>. 14. “Alberta to Send Personal Protective Equipment to Ontario, Quebec, B.C.”, CBC News (11 April 2020), online: <www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-to- send-personal-protective-equipment-to-ontario-quebec-b-c-1.5529989>. 15. Meagan Fitzpatrick, “Chief Medical Officers Are Leading Canada through COVID-19 Crisis—And Many Are Women”, CBC News (2 April 2020), online: <www.cbc.ca/news/health/women-chief-medical-officers-canada-1.5518974>. 16. Ryan Rocca, “‘Pick Up the Pace’: Doug Ford Says Some Local Medical Officers Falling Behind on COVID-19 Testing”, Global  News (5 May 2020), online: <global- news.ca/news/6907247/coronavirus-doug-ford-local-medical-officers-testing>. 17. See David Fisman interviewed on “What Is Ontario Doing Wrong on COVID-19?” (22 April 2020), online (podcast): The  Big  Story <thebigstorypodcast.ca/2020/04/ 22/what-covid-19-can-teach-us-about-being-wrong/>.