OTTAWA, ONTARIO – The Council of Canadians is calling on the federal Liberal government to respect the Canadian public's demand to see the Romanow Report's recommendations on health care put into practice. Public opinion polls conducted a year ago indicated that more than 70% of Canadians wanted to see the report implemented within its first 100 days.

As part of its ongoing Public Health programme, the Council has issued a report card on the federal government's performance on Mr. Romanow's recommendations. The Liberal government has scored poorly because very few of the recommendations have been implemented.

“There has been no action whatsoever at the federal level to curb the proliferation of for-profit services in British Columbia and Alberta. Quebec’s new Premier is talking about opening up that province’s health care system to the private sector. This does not bode well for the future of medicare,” says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians.

Canadians overwhelmingly supported the Commission's rejection of for-profit health care. The report stated, “It is a perversion of Canadian values to accept a system where money - rather than need - determines who gets access to health care.”

"Implementation of the recommendations from the Romanow Commission is already long overdue. Prime Minister Chrétien has not met the expectations of the country. We're calling upon Mr. Martin to correct the mistakes of the past and to respect the demands of the Canadian people for public health care," says Guy Caron, Campaigner for the Council of Canadians.

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