Skip to content

B.C.'s Dr. Bonnie Henry says her role is to find balance as best as she can

Public health officer asked about her role if B.C. Conservatives form government
27458158_web1_20211019-BPD-Bonnie-Henry-PT-oct14.21
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. (B.C. government photo)

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says her priority is protecting the health of British Columbians, as the province awaits the final results of the Oct. 19 election.

The B.C. Conservative party has promised to fire Henry if they form government. Henry was asked Tuesday (Oct. 22), during an update on B.C.'s respiratory illness season and fall vaccine campaign kickoff, her thoughts on that possibility.

Alluding to the need for recounts in two ridings – Surrey City Centre and Juan de Fuca-Malahat – and mail-in ballots to be counted, Henry said there is still "a lot of uncertainty." Currently, the B.C. NDP hold the most seats at 46, followed by Conservatives with 45 and the Greens holding the balance of power with two seats. 

"My office – the Office of the Provincial Health Officer – is an independent office and my role is to serve whatever government is in power. I will do my best to do that. If the party decides that they would prefer somebody who is more aligned with them, then that is their prerogative to do that."

Prior to the election, the B.C. NDP shared a video of B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad questioning the effectiveness and purpose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In the video from June, Rustad said that when talking to Henry it "wasn't so much about ... trying to get herd immunity or trying to stop the spread, but it was more around shaping opinion and control on the population." 

Rustad has said had three shots of the vaccine. 

However, Henry said what is most important to her and her office right now is protecting the health of everybody in B.C.

"The democratic process is incredibly important and I'm very happy to see so many people participating by exercising their right to vote. I think it's important for all of us, but while we wait for final results, my office and the work that we do will continue," Henry said.

In regards to Rustad's criticism of civil liberties around vaccines, Henry was asked to reflect on the province's policies and mandates.

"I worry a little bit that we're in a phase of collective forgetting, which is not uncommon after a major traumatic event. All of us want this to be behind us and not have to think about this anymore, but I have done a lot of reflection about the things that we did to try and manage during times of great uncertainty. I think we have to remember that."

In July, Henry ended the province's health emergency, which had been ongoing for more than four years. It was first declared on March 17, 2020 and allowed Henry and the province to enforce restrictions and policies, such as vaccine mandates for health-care workers.  

The province ended mask mandates in health-care settings back in April, after reintroducing them last September at the beginning of the influenza season. 

"We did what we did to try and find that balance. We know that there were harms caused — extreme harms caused — by this virus, particularly for older people, for people who were immune-compromised, but we also know the impact of the measures that we put in place had differential negative effects on younger people, particularly."

She said her role was to always "try and find that balance of protecting people" as best as her office could.

"The one thing I am absolutely, absolutely certain of is the fact that the vaccines that we had, and the ability to provide protection through immunization, is what got us through this pandemic and what made it so that we can live with this virus and stop some of the restrictions that were necessary at a time when we didn't have the protection from vaccines."

– With files from The Canadian Press, Wolf Depner

Breaking News You Need To Know

Sign up for a free account today and start receiving our exclusive newsletters.

Sign Up with google Sign Up with facebook

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Reset your password

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

A link has been emailed to you - check your inbox.



Don't have an account? Click here to sign up


Lauren Collins

About the Author: Lauren Collins

I'm a provincial reporter for Black Press Media's provincial team, after my journalism career took me around B.C. since I was 19 years old.
Read more