Straight thoughts 118

April 25th, 2004

The Liberal premiers of the two biggest provinces (Hon. Jean Charest and Hon. Dalton McGuinty) met at the Ontario legislature last Thursday to talk about co-operating on a range of issues, including health care. As reported by the CBC, "Both premiers are calling for a substantial increase in the federal government's share of health-care spending, up to 25 per cent, as recommended by the Romanow Commission."

We should note that "healthcare spending" whether provincial or federal, is ultimately financed by our taxes. Healthcare shortcomings and problems will continue to exist, no matter who is collecting our taxes and no matter which level of government spends our money. However, we suspect that the federal government may use the higher healthcare "costs" to justify increased federal taxation.

With this in mind, the proposed increase is exposed as nothing more than a transfer of responsibility from the Liberal provincial governments to the Liberal federal government.

The increased share of federal money spent on healthcare is presented to Ontarians as a "benefit", when in reality Ontarians are being robbed of more of their freedoms through this latest move towards centralization. Healthcare should remain a provincial responsibility, as specified in the Canadian Constitution.

The progressive solution for healthcare in Ontario is not re-distribution of money and powers, but serious healthcare reform, such as the Medical Savings Accounts and Medical Insurance reforms proposed by the Family Coalition Party.