The First of Four
The Sudbury
Chapter’s Benita Hart, Glenn Murray, Ron Tough, Toni Chezzi and Andre Clement
met with NDP MP, Mr. Claude Gravelle on the issue of Canada’s health program.
We were well received despite Mr. Gravelle’s busy agenda covering both ridings
of Nickel Belt and Sudbury. This pre-election meeting was generated by our
concern for the Prime Minister’s intent to dismantle Canada’s universal
coverage and our interest in confirming the NDP’s position on these health
related issues. Although this last week was part of the Canadian Health
Coalition’s national lobby on health, the Council stood alone to represent the
interests of the Council and both the OHC and CHC during this meeting.
We reiterated
our health priorities to include protecting and improving the public health
care system with
·
Equal
access regardless of ability to pay
·
A new
health care accord
·
Reversing
current funding cuts.
·
A
national drug plan that is public, affordable and safe
·
High
quality long-term care at home and in facilities for seniors that also include
palliative services
Mr. Gravelle indicated the NDP and he were aligned
with these priorities, but cautioned that the final drafting of the party’s
platform for the forthcoming election was yet to be fixed and rested largely in
the hands of the party experts.
We asked him if he were to be re-elected, if he would
work to stop the privatization of pubic health care and commit to supporting
integrated care strategies that
o
Integrated
services at the home and facilities?
o
Were universal
o
Included
long term, respite and palliative care, and
o
Provided
pharmacare?
… and would his
efforts include enforcing the standards in the Canada Health Act to ban extra-billing
and user fees, and enforce the provinces’ reporting requirements? Mr. Gravelle
agreed with these initiatives, but refrained from indicating the priority of
health issues for the forthcoming election. In response to how he personally
would support these, he indicated he was in the process of contributing to the
party’s platforms.
Mr. Gravelle
emphasized the need to open dialogue with the provinces to re-shape Canada’s
health accord – something the Prime Minister has refused to do. We agreed that
funding health care could likely be provided by Canada’s reduced investments in
corporate tax cuts and warfare and that amending the Canada Health Act should
include compelling more accountability by the provinces for their expenditures
from the federal transfer of health care funds.
Our MP
indicated that he saw care for seniors as the highest health priority for the
Nickel Belt and Sudbury ridings.
While
reiterating his and his party’s agreement with the above priorities, he
admitted it was too early to divulge details about how the Party would address
the issues, given the competing priorities among the Party’s agendas and the
need to be assured of the Party’s position before launching into specific
details of implementation.
“Get us elected
… and defeat the conservatives” were his main response to how we can work
together for a strong public health care system in Canada.
The meeting was
encouraging in that we felt Mr. Gravelle was taking notes to bring back to the
NDP think tanks in Ottawa. Hopefully, this will raise health care in the
prioritization of NDP election issues and that we will see more detail about
how the Party plans to act on these promises.
The Sudbury Chapter
will continue meeting with the federal candidates over the next weeks to read
the intentions of the Green, Liberal and Conservative parties and to reinforce national
health as an agenda to be supported and protected. Members of our local Chapter
are invited to join us. More to follow …
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