Ontario’s Martel quits cabinet post

The cabinet of Ontario’s governing New Democratic Party is looking for a new mines minister following the resignation of Shelley Martel.

The controversial representative of Sudbury East stepped down several weeks after being accused by the province’s privacy commission of violating the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act.

There was no word, at presstime, as to who would replace her as minister of northern development and mines.

Martel, first elected in 1987, took over the mines portfolio in 1991, having served as northern development minister since 1990. She was the province’s sixth mines minister in five years.

In announcing her resignation, Martel referred to her government’s job creation efforts. “I don’t want the ruling of the information and privacy commissioner to divert attention away from our record and our priorities. The jobs agenda is too important,” she said.

The accusation of the privacy commission arose from a letter Martel wrote in response to the efforts of Charles Ficner to garner support for a private members bill aimed at altering the province’s mining land tax. Disclosures in the Martel letter were ruled to have violated the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act.

In 1992, Martel was the subject of a 2-month inquiry, which investigated allegations that she divulged confidential information about the health insurance billing practices of a Sudbury doctor. Martel said she lied about seeing the doctor’s file. However, she retained her cabinet posting after the inquiry released two reports, one by governing members of Parliament exonerating her and the other by opposition members condemning her actions.