MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2007

Council of Canadians at CMA meeting to promote benefits of public health care

Vancouver – The Council of Canadians is in Vancouver to encourage doctors attending the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) annual meeting to protect and enhance public health care, Canada’s most valued social program. Public health care is more efficient, it costs less than private health care, and it provides equal access to all Canadians.

Representing its members from across the country, the Council of Canadians will speak out against the ideas promoted by incoming CMA President Dr. Brian Day, a private, for-profit clinic owner and outspoken advocate of health care privatization, and also against recent CMA policy that encourages health care privatization.

In a recent policy paper titled “Medicare Plus: Toward a Sustainable Publicly Funded Health Care System in Canada", the CMA made its agenda clear – to use private, for-profit clinics to “fix” waiting times, encourage the use of private health insurance, and allow doctors to work in both public and private settings.

“The Council of Canadians is gravely concerned about the direction of the CMA, which has moved more openly and blatantly in favour of private health care despite the international evidence showing it would lengthen wait times,” said Guy Caron, the Council’s health care campaigner.
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The Council will also encourage doctors to support a national pharmacare program, long-term care and home care strategies for all Canadians, as part of the “second stage” of Medicare.

“We urge doctors to support the expansion of medicare, but at the same time, not to undermine the principles of the first stage of medicare, which decreased and eliminated most financial barriers to health care services to all Canadians,” added Caron.

The Council of Canadians will join with allies from the B.C Health Coalition, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, the Hospital Employees Union, the BC Nurses Union and other groups to hold public events and provide educational materials to the public and to doctors during the annual meeting.

About us:

Founded in 1985, the Council of Canadians is Canada’s largest citizens’ organization, with members and chapters across the country. The organization works to protect Canadian independence by promoting progressive policies on fair trade, clean water, public health care, and other issues of social and economic concern to Canadians.

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For more information, contact: Jan Malek, Communications Administrator: cell: 613-851-1483; or Carleen Pickard, BC Regional Organizer cell: 604-340-2455.

Visit profitisnotthecure.ca for live updates from Vancouver and to download fact sheets.