The Nelson Daily Question of the Week — Healthcare
By Nelson Daily Staff
It’s been economy this and economy that during the run up to Monday’s General Election.
But what about the elephant in the room — healthcare? This is a topic that should have received more attention, especially with an aging population?
The three challengers in Kootenay-Columbia, Bill Green of the Green Party, Liberal candidate Don Johnston, Wayne Stetski of the NDP and incumbent David Wilks of the ruling Conservative Party were asked that very question relating to healthcare as the campaign winds down to Monday’s vote.
Christina Yahn of the Libertarian Party has withdrawn from the election in the Kootenay-Columbia riding.
So here we have Question four in The Nelson Daily Election series, dealing with Healthcare.
Health care seems to be the elephant in the room: everyone’s concerned about it but no one is talking about it. How do you think the federal government and your party, if elected, can play a role in reducing wait times and increase staffing to meet the needs of the aging Canadian population?
David Wilks, Conservative Party
The Conservative Party has consistently increased Health Transfers to the Province of BC. In 2006/07 it was 2.798 billion dollars. In 2015/16 those transfers will be 4.4 billion dollars.
Wait times are sole jurisdiction of the Provincial Government.
CMHC provides 2 billion dollars annually toward affordable housing and seniors housing. Being able to build seniors housing which also accommodates aging in place criteria, similar to Lilac Terrace in Sparwood, BC is one way of ensuring that seniors are treated with dignity.
The federal government will continue to ensure that Federal Health Transfers and CMHC funding is provided to the Provinces.
Don Johnston, Liberal Party
Every Canadian deserves access to timely, publicly funded, quality, universal health care, regardless of their background, physical needs, geographical location, or the amount of money in their pocket.
Yet, for the last 10 years under Stephen Harper, health has been virtually absent from the federal agenda. Instead, Harper’s Conservatives have reduced health funding to the provinces, territories, and Aboriginal governments, made steep cuts to important programs like drug treatment, mental health care, and suicide prevention, and refused to renegotiate the 2004 Liberal Health Accord– allowing it to expire in March 2014. Canadians deserve better.
A Liberal government will re-engage on Canadian health care and negotiate a new Health Accord with provinces and territories, including a new, long-term agreement on funding. We will re-engage in areas where there is direct federal responsibility, including health promotion and First Nations’ health, and work collaboratively with our provincial and territorial partners to tackle the critical issues that matter to Canadians – like extensive wait times, the high cost of prescription drugs, community-based care, and treatment for mental health.
Liberals also understand that to get Canadians the health care they need today, we need to go beyond the commitments made in previous decades. More than two million Canadians currently receive help or care at home because of a long-term health condition, a disability, or problems related to aging, and this number will only increase as our population ages.
That is why a Liberal government will invest $3 billion over the next four years to prioritize additional and improved home care services for all Canadians.
Our commitment will ensure an integrated primary care system in Canada that is multidisciplinary, patient-centered, and enables Canadians to maintain their independence and dignity.
Additionally, as part of a Liberal government’s commitment to a new, ten-year investment of nearly $20 billion in social infrastructure, we will prioritize significant new investment in affordable housing and seniors’ facilities.
Wayne Stetski, NDP
The NDP have by far the best plan for ensuring a positive future for Health Care in Canada. We will work with the provinces to ensure 5 million more Canadians can access a family doctor, reduce wait times for home care and nursing home spaces, and make prescription drugs more affordable.
Specifically, we will:
- Help build 200 clinics ($300 million) and provide funding to hire 7000 more doctors, nurses and health professionals
- Invest $1.4 billion over four years to expand home care for 41,000 seniors, create 5000 more long-term care beds, and provide better hospice and palliative care
- Invest $25 million a year for four years for a Mental Health Fund for children and youth
- Create a National Alzheimers and Dementia Strategy to fund research, support early diagnosis and access needed care ($40 million).
- Support universal prescription drug coverage and reduce drug costs by 30% through bulk purchasing
- Launch a National Action Plan and introduce a Canadians With Disabilities Act to eliminate systemic barriers for Canadians with disabilities
- Reverse the Conservative’s plan to reduce health transfers to the provinces by $36 billion
- Sign a new Health Accord with the Provinces (the Harper Conservatives let the last agreement expire in 2014 and have made no move to sign a new one) that ensures that Universal Health Care will continue to be a fundamental Canadian value
Canadian Doctors for Medicare stated on August 4, 2015 – “Under Prime Minister Harper’s leadership, for the last 9 years, the Federal Government has walked away from health care.”
Bill Green, Green Party
Until 2014, we had a national health care accord negotiated between the federal, provincial and territorial governments. This accord linked federal funding commitments to specific outcomes, like reducing surgical wait times. Many provinces made good progress to reduce wait times through the health accord period.
We need to re-establish co-operation on key health care issues between all levels of government and develop and implement a new national health care accord, again linking federal funding to achievement of measurable outcomes.
As a vehicle for inter-governmental cooperation, the Green Party advocates for the establishment of a Council of Canadian Governments to include representation from all levels of government: local, First Nations, Metis and Inuit, provincial and federal.
This Council will meet regularly, with published agendas, to work out cooperative agreements. A priority issue for the council will be renewing our national health accord.
Canadians know that the best way we can reduce the burden on our health care system is to work to ensure we don’t get sick in the first place.
We will work with the provinces to develop preventative health care guidelines that promote active lifestyles and healthy diets, saving our system millions by keeping Canadians healthy from childhood onwards.
