HARPER’S HEALTHCARE HERESY

HARPER’S HEALTHCARE HERESY

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has recommended to Health Canada that a tax-deductible long-term care insurance be considered to alleviate the healthcare costs in Canada. The CMA has stated that the, “Public healthcare system is unsustainable”.

On 5 August 2010, Canadian Premier’s from all provinces and territories met in Winnipeg and they too stated that, “there is an elephant in the room” referring to the cost of healthcare.

Over the past year, there have been too many coincidences and slips regarding healthcare. It appears that governments across Canada have been testing the water with their comments and insights into the cost of healthcare, and what else that money could be used for.

Premier Danny Williams tested the water with both feet when he went to Florida for surgery that he could have gotten in Canada within a week. He even did a full interview on NTV News and stated "The surgery I eventually got … was not offered to me in Canada.” The exact same surgery was available in Canada and his comment spawned an outcry from Canadian cardiologists, who stated that he could have gotten the surgery within one week in Canada.

Now we see Harper paying $130 Million dollars for Williams’ gaff on the AbitibiBowater Expropriation. Could this have been a payment for the seven seats in Newfoundland and Labrador? After all, Williams did drive the Conservatives out of NL with his ABC Campaign (Anything But Conservative), which saw six seats go to the Liberals and one to the New Democrats. Maybe Harper and Williams are making deals for those seats to help Harper get the majority he so desperately craves in order to enact his capitalist agenda and get rid of any and all Public Services in favour of “Pay As You Go” American style social programs.

We are being played as fools by the Canadian and Provincial governments. With healthcare being in the state that we currently find it, they are hoping that we will agree to the CMA’s recommendations and then government can get the elephant OUT of the room.

If a Federal election is called in the near future, healthcare will be one of the major players in whether the Conservatives will get a majority, a minority, or even retain power. As long as Canadians continue to close their eyes to what government is doing and support their healthcare incompetence, we continue to get closer to losing healthcare as we know it.

If we allow this to happen, we will see other social programs such as Employment Insurance, Old Age Security, and the Canada Pension Plan become the next “elephant in the room”. Harper has already poured salt into the wounds of our Soldiers and Veterans, do you think he really cares about you?



/signed/
Robin Brentnall
Gambo, NL