NDP pleased that courts uphold medicare, oppose two-tier health care

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement in response to the British Columbia Supreme Court decision regarding the Cambie Surgery Clinic, and its challenge against Canadian medicare:

“Ontario’s New Democrats strongly believe everyone has the right to high quality health care, regardless of how much money is in their bank account. Like all Canadians, New Democrats deeply value public health care and Canada’s medicare system.

Today’s British Columbia Supreme Court decision re-affirms that public health care is a right of Canadians, and that two-tier health care undermines that right. It’s a win for all of us who believe public health care is one of the things that makes Canada a great country.

Saskatchewan established medicare more than seven decades ago, under the leadership of Tommy Douglas. The principles that were born then, and are embedded into the Canada Health Act today, are that health care must be universal, accessible to all, portable, comprehensive and publicly paid and administered. Today’s court decision upholds those Canadian values.

During a global pandemic where our health care system has been tested and thousands of people have lost their lives, the importance of a public health care system cannot be understated. The shameful loss of over 1,840 precious lives in long-term care highlights the gaps in the system, and points to the failures of privatization. We must do more, not less, to make all health care public, including seniors’ care in our long-term care system. Profit margins should not dictate what care people deserve and receive, and for-profit corporations should neither profit off illness, nor be allowed to cut corners when it comes to care in order to pocket more cash.

Doug Ford’s Conservatives and the Liberals who preceded them in government do not share our commitment to expanding universal medicare and getting for-profit corporations out. It’s a fundamental difference between our parties. We hope this court decision goes some way in convincing other parties to stop the erosion of public services, and instead start building them up.

Along with so many Ontarians and Canadians, I am celebrating Canadian medicare today, and recommitting to fight every day for a better public health care system. Ontarians deserve nothing less.”