Michael Bluth Posted June 4, 2007 Report Posted June 4, 2007 From Chantal Hébert's column in Today's Star. Link The appointment last month of former Liberal minister Claude Castonguay to lead such a review was initially overshadowed by the furor over Jean Charest's tax-cutting budget, but it will resonate for much longer. Castonguay has yet to officially get down to work, but, in Quebec, his findings are widely seen as a foregone conclusion.As the minister who shepherded the introduction of medicare in the province in 1970, Castonguay is considered the father of the Quebec public health-care system. In contrast with most medicare pioneers though, he feels he gave birth to an insatiable monster, designed to gobble up untold amounts of public resources even as it delivers uneven outputs. He advocates introducing user fees for medical services and a full-fledged two-tier health-care system. He sees the Canada Health Act, and the public monopoly on health care it imposes on the provinces, as remnants of a paternalistic federal era. Now, his views are set to become government policy. This could be a good wedge issue for the Conservatives. Finding a way to position the party as the best possible defender of health care is definitely within Harper's grasp. Quote No one has ever defeated the Liberals with a divided conservative family. - Hon. Jim Prentice
M.Dancer Posted June 4, 2007 Report Posted June 4, 2007 This could be a good wedge issue for the Conservatives.Finding a way to position the party as the best possible defender of health care is definitely within Harper's grasp. That would be a stretch given that the Torys are seen as the ones wanting to dismantle healthcare by introducing things like two teir and user fees. Quebec as you may not know is very much a province where social services are treasured. See daycare and universal dental care for minors. Quote RIGHT of SOME, LEFT of OTHERS If it is a choice between them and us, I choose us
geoffrey Posted June 5, 2007 Report Posted June 5, 2007 A breath of fresh air. Too bad most Canadians won't support such a move, and we'll be stuck with substandard care likely as long as we all live. Quote RealRisk.ca - (Latest Post: Prosecutors have no "Skin in the Game") --
Who's Doing What? Posted June 5, 2007 Report Posted June 5, 2007 As M. Dancer said, they treasure their social programs. So in a province that just loves it's social programs, creating a two tier healthcare system would be akin to falling on their sword for the CPC. I think they could take all their gains in Kaybeck and toss them out the window. Like why would the residents want to pay for something in Kaybeck when they could get the rest of the country to foot the majority of the bill, through transfer payments and other handouts. Quote Harper differed with his party on some key policy issues; in 1995, for example, he was one of only two Reform MPs to vote in favour of federal legislation requiring owners to register their guns. http://www.mapleleafweb.com/election/bio/harper.html "You've got to remember that west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from eastern Canada: people who live in ghettoes and who are not integrated into western Canadian society." (Stephen Harper, Report Newsmagazine, January 22, 2001)
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