Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq says she has accepted an apology from cabinet colleague Lisa Raitt for comments she made during a taped conversation that criticized the minister's ability to do her job.
Aglukkaq said she was quite surprised when she first heard the remarks made by the Raitt, but she has decided to put the matter behind her.
"I had a great working relationship with her before the tapes were released, and I continue to have a great working relationship with her as we deal with the issues at hand," Aglukkaq told CTV's Question Period on Sunday. "We both have issues to focus on, and I will not let this get in the way of that."
When asked whether she was offended by the doubts about her professional abilities, Aglukkaq said simply, "no."
Raitt made the comments in January during a conversation with her former communications director Jasmine MacDonnell.
During the conversation, Raitt called Canada's isotope shortage a "sexy" issue she could build her career on because the ministry of health was "terrified of the issues."
"You know what? Good," she told her aide. "Because when we win on this, we get all the credit. I'm ready to roll the dice on this."
The conversation was made public when excerpts were published in the Halifax Chronicle Herald on June 8 -- less than a week after MacDonnell resigned after sensitive government documents were left behind at Â鶹´«Ã½' Ottawa office.
Earlier that day, MacDonnell had sought a court order to prevent the newspaper from publishing Raitt's comments.
Aglukkaq on the crisis
On the tape, Raitt said the current medical isotope shortage is a difficult political issue "because it's confusing to a lot of people."
The controversy heated up last month, after the breakdown of the government-run nuclear research reactor at Chalk River, Ont. The plant produces one-third of the world's medical isotopes, which are used in medical tests for cancer and heart patients.
With a predicted down time of at least three months, hospitals are already experiencing a shortfall due to the unreliability of suppliers outside Canada.
On Sunday, Aglukkaq called the isotope shortage "very serious."
"This is a serious issue that requires international co-operation in terms of how we deal with supply issues within this country and how that supply gets into the provinces and territories."
Aglukkaq was in Toronto Sunday to meet with the Society of Nuclear Medicine, a group of international nuclear-medicine experts, to discuss how to handle the shortage.
She said the government is currently providing alternative testing methods for people on waiting lists for cancer testing.
"We have been able to ensure that those (alternatives) are available in the provinces and territories so that when (isotopes) are the only alternative it can be made available in the case of children. That is why it is so important that the alternatives are in use, so the (isotopes) can be used where it's most needed."
Aglukkaq said alternative testing methods are currently being used in the provinces and territories, and that Raitt has taken a lead on dealing with the isotope shortage with her international counterparts.
The ministers are still waiting for more recommendations on how to handle the crisis from an expert panel that was appointed by the government.
Raitt declined to be interviewed by CTV's Question Period on Sunday.
