Conservative Scott Armstrong's hospital election visit sparks complaint

Nova Scotia's new health authority barred campaigning politicians from hospitals during elections Thursday, vindicating a complaint from a Truro doctor who objected when two Conservative candidates stopped by her hospital this week. 

In a letter to medical staff, Dr. Nancy McNeil — a radiologist at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre in Truro — called a campaign stop by Cumberland-Colchester Conservative candidate Scott Armstrong "outrageous."

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"I would like to know if people believe political campaigning is appropriate in the hospital setting, particularly with patients waiting for imaging in the department at the time," McNeil said in a letter obtained by CBC News.

"Are all political parties going to be coming through my department so they can show how much they care? I really think this is outrageous! This hospital was built with our taxes, donations from the community and the hard work of a lot of people. This hospital was not built by the Conservative party," she wrote.

McNeil declined an interview, but confirmed she wrote the letter.

The Nova Scotia Health Authority says Armstrong sought and received permission to visit the Colchester hospital with Kellie Leitch, a Conservative candidate in Ontario, on Tuesday.

Health authority bars hospital campaigning 

Everton McLean, spokesman for the authority, says the visit was approved under a policy from the old Capital District Health Authority. It allowed candidates to visit during a campaign to educate themselves, but not to canvass. He said Armstrong's conduct during the Tuesday visit was appropriate.

On Thursday, the health authority management met and decided more visits by candidates will not be allowed.

"We want to ensure our place of work and the place where patients who come for care remains a politically neutral environment," McLean told CBC.

McLean said the policy change was in the works before McNeil complained, but it does "uphold" her concerns.

Interviewed prior to the policy change, Scott Armstrong maintained there was nothing wrong with his visit, which he said was focused on meeting staff, although he did meet with some patients.

"It's a normal part of what a politicians does, going around seeing people, seeing public buildings, seeing private enterprises," Armstrong told CBC News.

"This is no different than any other election I've been part of."

Armstrong's Liberal opponent Bill Casey — a former Conservative who represented the riding for many years — says he never campaigned in a hospital.

"Those two candidates would have done better to try and get Stephen Harper to sit down with premiers and work out a health accord," Casey said.

New Democratic Party candidate Wendy Robinson did not immediately respond to questions from CBC News.