A commentary by a former deputy health minister in British Columbia and Saskatchewan. He served on two royal commissions on health care and was awarded the Order of Canada for innovative leadership and dedication to overcoming the most challenging issues in our health system.
Jonathan Manthorpe, in his book On Canadian Democracy, depicts, “Canada as not so much a country as a loose association of antagonistic and predatory governments and administrative bodies all competing to make life as frustrating and complicated for their citizens as possible.” Today’s politicians have a wealth of meaningful recommendations, provided by citizens and health leaders, to restore effective health services in Canada by creating a solid foundation of primary care services.
Seniors in Canada today are the citizens who in their younger years saw the importance and demanded that political leaders create a universal health system.They chose a single payer system because it was the most cost-effective way to provide insurance and the most equitable and fair way to ensure people who were less well-off would be served as well as others.
We need political leaders to acknowledge shortfalls, review the evidence, communicate the options for public consideration and legislate primary care to be accessible to every citizen. The key question is: Could ambitious political leadership restore our health system? Could politicians who are focused on the needs of citizens, public interest, honesty, and openness garner cooperation from other party politicians and be supported by Canadian citizens to survive, i.e., win an election? Many believe it can be done.