With the wrap-up of the annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Association this week, the Liberal Party echoed CMA concerns about Canada’s strained healthcare system and reiterated its commitment to a plan that addresses healthcare deficits.
“Along with the CMA, we recognize that healthcare costs are rising as our population gets older and, as the Auditor General confirmed yesterday, our healthcare system needs to reflect this demographic shift,” said Liberal Health Critic Dr. Carolyn Bennett.
Auditor General Sheila Fraser said yesterday that governments need to do a better job of telling Canadians how their health dollars are being spent and start making long-term projections to prepare for the aging population.
“This represents one of this country’s biggest challenges, and yet Stephen Harper couldn’t even bother to send his Health Minister to the CMA meeting,” said Dr. Bennett. “He has shown time and again that healthcare is not a priority for him, even though the majority of Canadians think it is.
“Liberals firmly believe in Canada’s universal healthcare system, and our position about the future of healthcare in this country stands in stark contrast to the Conservatives.”
A poll released this week by the CMA shows that 71% of Canadians believe that the federal government should be equally focused on healthcare and the economy, and that nine in ten Canadians don’t see any real solutions being put forward by the government.
Following his cabinet shuffle earlier this month, Stephen Harper indicated that health care was “not a priority” at the moment for his government and that no negotiations would take place in 2010 to renew the federal-provincial Health Accord, which expires in 2014.
“We want to start the dialogue with the provinces and territories now and we have ideas to share,” said Liberal Public Health Critic Dr. Kirsty Duncan. “We want to invest in health promotion through our National Food Policy and we want to make investments in home care.”
A future Liberal government has committed to taking immediate steps to support caregivers at home, to introduce measures to attract doctors and nurses to rural Canada, and to introduce Canada’s first-ever National Food Policy, which will promote healthy eating to reduce illness and prevent disease.
“Liberals believe that the federal government can and should play a stronger role in supporting better quality health care for Canadians. A healthy economy and a healthy population are not mutually exclusive,” concluded Dr. Bennett.
“The ongoing health of Canadians is a real problem that requires real leadership, and Liberals are ready to provide the leadership that Canadians are looking for.”
