(The following article is from the May 1-15, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

Canadians are being misled by the President of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) about the threat of privatized, for‑profit health care, says Michael McBane, National Coordinator for the Canadian Health Coalition (CHC).  

     Kicking off a cross-country campaign to save public health care, McBane charged that CMA President Dr. Robert Ouellet is presenting a false picture of European health care that could mislead Canadians about the threat posed by private services.

     "Dr. Ouellet, who is also the owner of a private for‑profit health company, knows that Canadians reject American‑style two‑tier medicine," said McBane. "So he is cherry‑picking bits and pieces of information from different European systems to lull Canadians into accepting the idea of more privatized, for‑profit services. Dr. Ouellet's vision of health care is `pay more and get less.'"

     McBane was speaking on April 15 in Moncton, New Brunswick, at the launch of the Canadian Health Coalition's campaign to save public health care. The campaign will travel to communities throughout Canada to hold town hall meetings, and a new website will encourage Canadians to get involved in the fight to save public health care.

     "We chose to launch this campaign in New Brunswick because it is a province teetering on the brink of privatizing," said McBane. "Health Minister Mike Murphy is looking at ways to introduce privatized for‑profit services here in New Brunswick. Today we're challenging him to meet with us and to make a public promise to keep the province's health care public."

     McBane pointed out that Dr. Ouellet is promoting a so‑called "European model" of private/public services that doesn't exist. "There isn't any one system in Europe. Each country has different benefits and problems," said McBane. "Dr. Ouellet's privatized, for‑profit vision won't solve a single problem of our public health care."

     Dr. Michael Rachlis, a leading expert on the Canadian health care system, was at the launch together with Linda Silas, RN, President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. They offered to meet with New Brunswick's Health Minister to present public, Made‑in‑Canada solutions that maintain the principles of public, universally accessible quality health care. Following the launch, the team made presentations at two town hall meetings in New Brunswick. Dr. Saideh Khadir, president of Quebec Doctors for Medicare, joined the slate of presenters at the Bathurst town hall.

     The Canadian Health Coalition is a not‑for‑profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting and expanding the public health system for the benefit of all Canadians. It includes organizations representing seniors, women, churches, nurses, health care workers and anti‑poverty activists from across Canada.

     For more information, see http://www.medicare.ca.