Buckdog

With further reference to the post: Quebec makes way for private health care

So you say you don't believe it? So you say that Stephen Harper's Conservatives (Reform Party) promised they wouldn't touch it? Remember that Jean Charest was the leader of the Conservative Party and was a member of Brian Mulroney's cabinet - the ones that brought in free-trade and the GST, and privatized huge chunks of the federal government.

Back to the right-wing agenda. Try this statement on for size:

Michael Walker, President of the "right-wing think tank", the Fraser Institute, was reported to have said the following at the 30th anniversary of the institute:

“Having won the battles against universality, deficits and debt, Mr. Walker said the institute will beturning its sights on privatizing health and education.”
(Winnipeg Free Press October 29, 2004)

The true health care agenda of the right-wing is to turn that care over to the private, for profit, sector. They have an agenda and are pursuing it. See if you recognise the lines:

• They say medicare worked in the old days, but doesn’t work now
• They say only "innovative" solutions (read: private sector, for profit), "designed for our times" will fix the "crisis"
• They say they support public health care and are only working to strengthen it

Their plan (see if this doesn't sound familiar):

• Allow private hospitals and clinics outside the current public system
• They will detach “public health insurance” from government delivery of health care
• Private clinics and hospitals will bill government insurance.
• Allow opting out from the central insurer

The right-wing plan starts with the "detachment" of what they call “public health insurance” from government delivery of health care. They want to introduce private providers at all levels instead of just in labs and senior's homes. (Doctors and basic clinics are not the kinds of of health mega-corporations we need to worry about, by the way. The right wing always likes to throw that up as a red herring) .

"We took a position this development was something the provinces should be able to do and that continues to be our position," he said.

By that, Harper meant having private providers deliver some services within a publicly-insured system. 'We believe that what matters is people get access to these services, not who delivers them.'" (Stephen Harper, ctv.ca , Election 2004, June 4, 2004)

Watch out Canada