OTTAWA – Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff will be joined by former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien on the campaign trail in the coming weeks as the Liberal Team shares the Liberal commitment to protect universal public health care with Canadians.
“The Rt. Hon. Jean Chrétien’s lifetime of achievement through forty years of public service embodies the best that Canada has to offer: bilingualism and multiculturalism, compassion and fiscal responsibility, and strong relationships with other nations,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “I am honoured to have Mr. Chrétien lend his voice to our campaign as we reach out to Canadians about our plan to strengthen Canada’s public health care system, reversing five years of disengagement under the Harper government.”
A Liberal government is committed to sustaining a 6% annual increase in health care funding and prioritizing improvements in home care services and drug coverage in order to strengthen the quality of health care services and contain costs in the long run. This week, Mr. Ignatieff committed to convening a first Ministers meeting within 60 days of being sworn in to work on funding arrangements and system-wide reforms to secure the future of public health care in Canada.
“Mr. Chrétien’s legacy helped shape the Canada we love, through his central role in adopting the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, defending Canadian unity through two Quebec referendums, and bringing Canada’s finances from deficit to surplus,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “Mr. Chrétien always fought for average Canadian families, with the largest tax cut in Canadian history, the Millennium Scholarships to help with the cost of post-secondary education, and the Child Tax Benefit to improve living standards for low-income children.”
Mr. Chrétien will join Mr. Ignatieff in the Greater Toronto Area in late April.
