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Protecting public health care in the 2014 Health Care Accord
Canada is facing an important next step in our medicare history. In 2014, the current health care accord – the deal that sets funding and health care service delivery agreements between the federal and provincial and territorial governments – expires and must be renegotiated. In the lead-up to these negotiations, we need to remind federal politicians of how much Canadians need and value our public health care system.
Politicians have already begun meeting to talk about what the new accord should include. Instead of being at the table, and taking a leadership role in discussions, the Harper government announced in December 2011 it would provide limited federal financial transfers to the provinces and territories for the delivery of health care services. Essentially, the Harper government has reduced its role in Canada’s health care system to writing cheques (and not even ones that would cover the costs of the health care services Canadians need.) The Harper government has stated that health care is a “provincial jurisdiction,” signalling it does not support a national public medicare program.
The Council of Canadians has always fought for strengthened public health care. We believe that everyone – Provincial and territorial governments, First Nations and the federal government – should come together to ensure the 2014 Health Care Accord delivers better, more efficient, quality public health care that includes a national pharmacare program and better home care and long term care for our aging population. All Canadians should have access to the same services and quality of care provided by a national, public system.
We are holding townhalls, press conferences, organizing rallies, producing materials and lobbying politicians across Canada to help make this happen. We hope you will join us in the important fight for public health care.
Take action!
Send a letter today to Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, Health Critic Libby Davies, your Premier and provincial Minister of Health asking them to improve public health care for all Canadians through the 2014 Health Care Accord at www.canadians.org/2014accord.
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2014 Health Accord
Share your medicare story
With less than one year left to negotiate a 2014 Health Accord, your voice is more important than ever. Take a few minutes to tell your health care story, and send a powerful message to our elected representatives.
What: We're looking for all kinds of stories. Tell us about a great experience you’ve had with public health care and why we need to protect it. Tell us about difficulties you've had getting care and why we need to strengthen medicare. Tell us about gaps in the current system where we need to expand health care.
How: Pull out your video camera or start up your webcam, and record your health care story. Then email it to the Council’s YouTube channel (contact us for email address).
Need help? Ask your friends or neighbours (or their kids!). Encourage them to create their own videos too.
Tips:
Don't forget to include your name, city and province or territory.
After you've shared your story, please include this statement: Premier [your premier’s name e.g. Wynne, Dexter, Clark...], I support protecting, strengthening and expanding medicare in the 2014 Health Care Accord. I hope you will too.
This conference will examine best–practices in pharmaceutical management in Canada and internationally, identify the barriers to a universal public drug plan, provide a platform to raise awareness and build political momentum in Canada for a national pharmacare plan.
Canada's premiers met in Halifax November 22-23, 2012 to discuss Canada's economy, specifically the diminishing federal contribution to health care. But were was Harper? To highlight Harper's absence from these talks and the need for his government to support public health care in Canada:
- we were able to place (through donations from our supporters) a 1/4 page newspaper ad in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald while the premiers were meeting (see photo);
- chairperson Maude Barlow and health care campaigner Adrienne Silnicki wrote an op-ed in the Huffington Post that states, "In addition to chopping $36 billion in transfer payments, the federal government is negotiating a new trade agreement with the EU that will add $2.8 billion to drug costs. ...Harper is well aware that his refusal to negotiate a 2014 Health Accord and the downloading of almost $40 billion will encourage provinces to charge patients out-of-pocket and bring in more for-profit services." This can be read here.
Tell your premier you oppose Harper’s billion-dollar bonus for Big Pharma and that we need to be thinking of ways to reduce drug costs, not making them more expensive by granting longer patents and more monopoly protections to some of the richest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Send a letter here.
The Council of Canadians, Nova Scotia Citizens’ Health Care Network, Canadian Doctors for Medicare and allies held several events while the premiers were in town to show Canadians are watching and expect action to protect, strengthen and extend public health care.
VIDEO: Protect Medicare Press Conference - Defend, Strengthen & Extend Medicare & Canada's PUBLIC Health Care System in Halifax, July 26, 2012
VIDEO: Premiers’ Puppet Parade in Halifax on July 25, 2012. "Premiers, don’t be puppets, stand up to Harper"Read more »
PHOTOS: The Council of Canadians and the Health Network hosted a media conference on our collective vision for Medicare in the future aboard the Queen Harbour in Halifax on July 26, 2012. Later that evening Megan Leslie MP for Halifax, and Libby Davies, MP for East Vancouver, hosted a forum on the future of public health care.
PHOTOS: Premiers’ Puppet Parade in Halifax on July 25, 2012. "Premiers, don’t be puppets, stand up to Harper"Read more »
VIDEO: National Day of Action for a 2014 Health Accord - Nova Scotia Exercise Flashmob, July 18, 2012
PHOTOS: Council joined thousands on Parliament Hill to mourn "the death of evidence" on July 10, 2012. Read more »
See more videos from the July 25-27Health Care Actions During Council of the Federation on our YouTube playlist.
Read updates from Adrienne Silnicki, the Council's health care campaigner, here.
The Council of Canadians and Ontario Health Coalition are outraged that despite promises made by Ontario’s government, proposed amendments are too weak to stop the mass privatization of public services in Budget Bill 55, Schedule 28. Read media release »
BACKGROUNDER: Analysis of proposed amendments to the Ontario Budget Bill 55, Schedule 28
The Budget Bill (Bill 55) contains a dangerous section that, if implemented, could facilitate the largest privatization of public assets and services in Ontario’s history. Schedule 28 of the Budget Bill Creates an über“Minister of Privatization”. This Schedule sets up extraordinary powers for Cabinet and a new Minister to set regulations to order the privatization of public services, including health care, water, school boards, education, social services, hydro, and more. The privatization of these services was never mentioned when the budget was announced. They have been inserted into the Ontario omnibus Budget Bill with no information provided to the public and little opportunity for public scrutiny. Read more »
Click the tabs above and visit the links in the left-hand column for information on privatization, trade implications for public health care, P3s, wait times, solutions and more.
Robert Chernomas, Professor of Economics at the University of Manitoba and Council of Canadians Board member, writes about the current state of the Canada’s public health care system in this new report, “Profit Is Not the Cure 2010: Is the Canadian economy sustainable without medicare?” The report examines the continuing threats to Canada’s public health care system from for-profit service providers and examines what factors are really driving health care costs.
VIDEO: Maude Barlow on public health care, January 2012 Maude Barlow speaks with Libby Davies as Canada's premiers meet on the future of medicare during the Council of the Federation meeting on the 2014 Canada Health Accord negotiations, January 14, 2012 in Victoria. (Rabble.ca)
Canadian Doctors for Medicare hosted a celebration of Medicare in Canada. The speakers included Roy Romanow, former Saskatchewan Premiere and Commissioner on Health Care in Canada. They tell Americans that Canadian universal health care works and encourage Americans to implement a single payer universal health care system. The video also features Dr. Steven Lewis a health policy and research consultant, Dr. Danielle Martin, Dr. Ryan Meili and Dr. Robert Woolard representing the Canadian Doctors for Medicare and Linda Silas President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions.
The Council of Canadians calls on the federal government to:
Enforce the Canada Health Act.
Stop funding private, for-profit health care.
Establish minimum standards for universal access to all necessary services.
Send a letter today to Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, Health Critic Libby Davies, your Premier and provincial Minister of Health asking them to improve public health care for all Canadians through the 2014 Health Care Accord at www.canadians.org/2014accord.
Take Action! Have your Council Chapter or local group sign onto the Canadian Health Coalition’s “Call to Care” Canadians need to have their message for a protected, strengthened and extended public health care system heard during the 2014 Health Care Accord negotiations. We can do this through people power – and lots of it! Please ask your Council of Canadians chapter, local community groups, unions, labour councils and others to consider signing onto the Canadian Health Coalition’s “Call to Care.” We’re hoping that thousands of groups, representing concerned people across Canada, will come together to deliver a strong message to provincial, territorial, and federal governments that Canadians want to secure the future of medicare. Below is a list of just a few of those signatories so you can get an idea of the diversity of groups involved. Read more »
Join the Council of Canadians »
The strength of the Council is in its membership. The Council does not accept funding from corporations or from governments, so membership donations are vital to our activities. We work with community groups, seniors, students, unions and other organizations across the country to promote progressive policies on public health care, fair trade, clean water and other issues of social and economic concern to Canadians.
TAKE ACTION!
Here are just a few things you can do:
JOIN the Council of Canadians and make us stronger,
GET ACTIVE with a local chapter in your community,
Profit Is Not the Cure 2010: Is the Canadian economy sustainable without medicare?
