Why is Health Care no Longer a Priority for the Harper Government?

Prime Minister Stephen Harper must explain why the patient wait times guarantee has been dropped from his government’s list of priorities, Liberal Health Critic Ruby Dhalla said today.

“The Conservative government has provided no leadership and has taken no action on improving health care in Canada,” said Ms. Dhalla.

“Prime Minister Harper has been so busy patting himself on the back for fulfilling his famous five priorities; he has conveniently forgotten about the biggest priority for Canadians today –timely access to quality public health care,” she continued.

“Why has he chosen to ignore this crucial issue when millions of Canadians remain on waiting lists to receive lifesaving medical procedures?”

Recent media reports have drawn attention to the fact that Conservative campaign promise to
“work with the provinces to establish a Patient Wait Times Guarantee” has been missing from the Conservative talking points for several months. Mr. Harper neglected to mention health care as his government’s priority in a column he wrote recently for Report Magazine, a neo-conservative magazine. This fifth priority of health care was replaced instead with an obtuse promise to “strengthen our country at home and around the world."

The previous Liberal government invested $41.2 billion and worked with the provinces to create a 10-year action plan to health care system. Meanwhile, the Conservative government has failed to invest any significant new monies for health care and has neglected to provide the provinces with any resources or funding to achieve a wait times guarantee.

“It’s no wonder Mr. Harper has chosen to break his health care promise to Canadians,” Ms. Dhalla explained. “He is demanding more services from our already overtaxed provincial health care systems but is unwilling to give any money to pay for them.”

Ms. Dhalla wondered if the lack of importance the Conservative government has placed on public health care gives any indication that Mr. Harper is returning to his Reform Party roots.

“Since taking office, Mr. Harper has been intent on checking off his priority list, one by one,” she said. “I am curious as to why his fifth priority has fallen off his agenda.
“Is Mr. Harper waiting to introduce a two-tiered health care system if he wins his much hoped-for majority in the next federal election?”