Danny Williams says he expects to be back on the job as Newfoundland and Labrador's premier later this month. (CBC)

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams says he expects to be back at his desk in a little over a week, following a U.S. heart operation that sparked a political row.

Williams flew to Miami in February for heart surgery, in a procedure his medical advisers recommended be done there. Critics pounced on Williams for not getting the procedure done in Canada, and the matter attracted hackles from conservatives in the U.S., who saw Williams's decision as proof of weaknesses in the Canadian health system.

"I'm feeling very good, actually," Williams told CBC News in Vancouver on Monday.

"I'm about three weeks out now, and give me another week or so, and I'll be back on the job."

Williams travelled to Vancouver to join a Newfoundland and Labrador delegation at the Olympics. The government sponsored about 90 musicians, actors and other artists to participate in the cultural component of the games.

Williams said he cannot speak highly enough of how Vancouver hosted the games.

"The city has been great - the mood in the city, the Canadiana has been absolutely fabulous. I'm just deeply indebted to Premier [Gordon] Campbell and British Columbians for having put off a great show here," Williams said.

"The whole exercise was five star … They've done an absolutely outstanding job."