Stand up for public health care

With 79% of Canadians citing health care as a very important issue this election, it's time for political parties and candidates to take a stand in favour of our public medicare system.

Canada’s health care system is under threat. After years of devastating federal cuts to health care funding, provincial governments are now promoting privatization and “mixed delivery” as the solutions to wait times. The federal government remains silent on rapidly expanding privatization and rarely uses the enforcement mechanisms of the Canada Health Act (CHA) to penalize private surgical clinics and MRI clinics that allow patients to jump the queue. There are now close to 200 private clinics estimated to be operating in Canada, many in clear violation of the CHA.

While there are challenges within Canada’s medicare system, studies continue to show that public health care is more efficient, cost effective, and better for patients’ health than any private model. Private health care is more expensive, it takes doctors and nurses from the public system, grants privileged access to those who can afford to pay, and puts patients at risk by cutting corners in favour of corporate profits.

This federal election demand that candidates stop health care privatization and work to strengthen and improve our public health care system.