And Mr. Ignatieff addressed the issue in speaking to reporters after the morning caucus meeting.
“I am saying no user fees,” he said. “I want to make it very clear that our party and I personally am a passionate defender of the Canada Health Act and we understand that provinces are facing substantial challenges facing the financing of their health care systems.
Mr. Ignatieff said Liberals will oppose any government in any province that introduces user fees. And he went further, asking why Prime Minister Stephen Harper hasn’t made a similar defence.
“I said last week … this is not just about health care. This is the spine of Canadian citizenship that is at stake and our party wants to make position and stance on that very clear.”
On a side note, the reckless MP's who leak these tantalizing statements to gossip mongers need to be reigned in. The Charest budget isn't exactly an ancient document, so the unease with Ignatieff's clarity is both premature and irresponsible. I suppose you could argue that Ignatieff needed to clarify, which he did today, but to run to the press and anonymously question is schoolyard nonsense. I'm curious what kind of an idiot(seriously) thinks they can convey rumblings to someone with daily ink to fill and NOT realize they will be reported? If the intent was pre-meditated, then do us all a favor and resign, because this shit sandbags our chances.
5 comments:
The problem in this entire debate is everybody thinks something is wrong and they dont wanna pay to fix it.
How bloody convenient!
User fees are a bad idea just because they discourage preventive health care and people will wait before going to the doctor to save a few bucks.
I like the the health premium being introduced in Quebec. If they use it to get more doctors into our system, then all the better.
Sadly I know some so-called Liberals who are knuckle draggers on this issue. There may be some of these folks in caucus. If they exists, I would send my plumbers there pronto.
I'd be more inclined to user fees myself, as they might prevent frivolous use of the system, whereas health premiums might be seen as a "use it or lose it" situation (ie: I pay for it anyway, so I might as well use it). Some accommodation would have to be made for the lower-income folks, as with the health premium discounts here in BC.
More importantly, when are we as a nation going to acknowledge reality and allow a public/private system to exist openly? It's the only thing that works. We know this. Only Canada, Cuba and North Korea actually *legislate* a 100% public health care system (there used to be an eastern European country as well...Belarus?) and ban all private care. We've had private health care facilities in Canada for decades now and we just continue to pretend that they don't exist. Why? What's the point?
I just saw a big billboard on a main Calgary road touting about how you could get MRIs and CT scans "without the wait" from a private diagnostics place.
They might as well have added "if you've got the money".
Something's broken alright and it's deliberately broken so businesses like that can concern troll their way into profit margins.
The fact that there are Liberal MPs impatient with lack of immediate strong NO language (or stronger NO) is actually a good sign to me. It means even inside the House ranks people want to go more obviously progressive right Fking now.
Isn't that an attitude to echo the general dismay of Liberal bloggers about the party not coming out more strongly on progressive issues instead of being squishy uncertain safe?
I'd rather that attitude being leaked than some revelation the party wants to go more Right.
But I'm biased. I think there's more electoral gain in sincerely repping the discouraged non-voters who are progressive and seeking a home, rather than the mushy conservatives who MIGHT switch their votes if they find the PMO having a kitten bbq.
Niles said...
I just saw a big billboard on a main Calgary road touting about how you could get MRIs and CT scans "without the wait" from a private diagnostics place.
They might as well have added "if you've got the money".
Something's broken alright and it's deliberately broken so businesses like that can concern troll their way into profit margins.
So what exactly are you implying here...that every Canadian government since Trudeau has been deliberately sabotaging the Canadian health care system in order to make private clinics more profitable? Seriously?
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