Stronach says she'd consider allowing two-tier health care-Globe and Mail

[Screaming Lord Byron]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040219.wstron0220/BNStory/Front/

OTTAWA — Belinda Stronach has decided to rush in where even Stockwell Day feared to tread: She is prepared to consider permitting two-tier health care in Canada.

In an interview with The Globe and Mail, the candidate for the leadership of the new Conservative Party said that the strain on the Canadian health-care system is becoming intolerable, with costs increasing far above the rate of inflation and the quality of care steadily deteriorating.

"We have equal access to an inadequate system at the moment, and when you talk to Canadians you know it's not working," she said.

"There are many examples we could draw on where the private sector could play a role and deliver better health care."

That prompted this question: Would you consider permitting people who wanted to step outside the publicly funded system to avail themselves of private care, if they so chose?

"I do respect Canadians' freedom to choose, and it's something we could take a look at," she replied. "We must respect the Canada Health Act, but as long as we don't compromise the principle of universal access to good quality health care ..... if it does relieve some pressure on the system, and does help provide that good quality access to health care for Canadians, it's something we can take a look at."

This is contradictory, since letting doctors charge patients directly for their services would require changes to the Canada Health Act.

-Oh, this is good. Please elect this woman, Tories!

[DEM FAN]

1. Do You Know That Stronach Is A Friend Of Bill Clinton.

I Saw That In A Magazine.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

2. Yeah, I saw that. Don't know what they'd have in common, though.

[BlueEyedSon]

3. She's got a vagina. And Bill has a (very famous)....

[Holly]

4. She'd be a gift

to both the Liberals and NDP. Any idea how likely she is to win the leadership?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

6. It's actually a fairly strong possibility.

[iverglas]

5. wouldn't you think ...

... that with all those loonies, she could hire someone to tell her what to say??

I've probably mentioned the case coming before the Supreme Court of Canada in which a Quebec doctor is challenging the provincial healthcare system, specifically the prohibition on purchasing private insurance to cover the "medically necessary services" covered by the universal plan. The decision will of course affect other provincial plans with the same provisions.

The argument is that the prohibition is a violation of the Charter rights to life, liberty and security of the person, not in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice (s. 7). If the appellants succeed in establishing that their rights have been violated, the Quebec govt. would have to show that the violation was demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society (s. 1, the provision that allows rights violations, e.g. the prohibition on shouting "fire" in crowded theatres, where there is a public interest that supercedes the individual's interest and cannot be protected otherwise, etc.).

The appellants lost in the Quebec Superior Court and Quebec Court of Appeal. The factums, some of which I've had an opportunity to read, are being filed in the Supreme Court. One never knows why the Supreme Court grants leave to appeal (the equivalent of "certiorari" in the US SC, for the neighbours' info) -- whether they think that a case raises important issues that they want to hear argued before deciding, or whether they think that the lower courts were right but the case raises important issues that they want to settle once and for all. ;) (I'm guessing, but if I were on the court I might sometimes want to do the latter!)

The case is Chaoulli (who seems to be a strange kinda guy), and unfortunately it doesn't seem to have attracted much media attention in English-speaking Canada. On the SCC's site, the brief info in news releases is in French, the language in which the case was brought to the court (the decision will of course be issued in both languages). Much stuff on the net about the case is from the right-wing perspective. Ah, here's one:

http://www.nupge.ca/news_2004/n14ja04a.htm

Ottawa - The National Union of Public and General Employees has joined with the Canadian Labour Congress and six other unions in seeking to intervene in one of the most important cases on public health care ever to be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada.

... If granted intervener status, the unions will tell the Supreme Court that Canadians should not be allowed to pay privately for publicly insured health care services.

Dr. Jacques Chaoulli and his patient, Mr.George Zeliotis, are asking Canada's highest court to overturn a Quebec Court decision that prohibited Zeliotis from paying privately for a hip replacement, arguing that the decision contravenes the right to life, liberty and security under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In essence, the Supreme Court of Canada will be ruling on whether provinces have the right to prevent doctors from selling private medical services to those who can pay for them when the publicly funded system fails to provide timely service.

This is perhaps the most significant challenge yet to the basic framework of the public medicare model. If the top court overturns the Quebec decision, the purchasing of health care services outside the public system could be established as a constitutional right, at least where access to publicly funded services is deemed not "quick enough."

(with some links)


Anyhow -- yes, bring on Belinda!

.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

7. Jesus, I would not want to touch that case.

Someone should ask Stronach about it, it'd be like handing her a noose and asking her to stick her head in. Maybe ask it after she wins leadership, though.

[Holly]

8. LOL Good plan

don't ask until after, she wins. Although, if she wins it could be a major set back for women in politics. Hopefully people will see her as as a failed leader because she's incompetent, stupid, unqualified, and a pawn of the unelectable backroom boys. And not because she's a woman. So hoping she wins is a dilemma for me.

[Holly]

10. Given this more thought

As a woman I'm willing to take the risk and "hope" Belinda wins. The stakes are too high, Universal health-care, abortion rights, same-sex marriage, national unity, and eliminating any attempt to help expand the PNAC agenda. They are a threat to Canada.

[iverglas]

14. You're probably too young ;)

-- to remember Judy LaMarsh, cabinet minister under Trudeau, funny-looking large spinster who was for a long time the "model" of women in Canadian politics (and who was a smart woman and decent, i.e. honourable, politician). We survived that. ;)

And Kim Campbell (who of course was really no bimbo) ... and Sheila Copps ... and the dull as dishwater Audrey and Alexa, and the "her master's voice" Flora MacDonald who went from being a Red Tory icon to being Mulroney's lackey.

But we've also had all sorts of other strong women's voices at all levels of government, not lackeys or bimbos or caricatures.

The critical mass has probably been achieved, where we don't have to worry too much about one bimbo setting us back a couple of decades. And certainly Jack, for one, will be hitting on her for being a rich kid, not a girl. ;)

.

[Holly]

15. Unfortunately

I'm not too young, wish I was though. All good points, from you and Minstrel Boy. I'm convinced, bring on Belinda.

[MrPrax]

16. For Shame?

Your list of honour fails to include such titans as Pat Carney, Sharon Carstairs, Jeane Sauve, Colleen Callbeck, or...um...well

I still support women in politics and good point...there have been quite a few in prominent rols

[iverglas]

17. Sharon Carstairs!

How could one forget?

I actually just mused about her to the co-vivant a couple of weeks ago, about how I missed her, ah, voice in the political arena.

I mean, normally I will reject criticism/mockery of women's voices -- different does not mean less good, the "male voice" standard is not an acceptable one -- but sheesh, Sharon Carstairs. I wonder whether there's an audio file anywhere on the net for those who never had the ear-splitting pleasure?

Allow me to give Marion Dewar (former mayor of Ottawa, national president of the NDP and briefly NDP for a part of Hamilton) an honourable mention here, on the good-role-model side of the balance sheet; wonderful woman, although she did play that traditional-woman "Catholic nurse" card a bit heavily in her pro-choice activities. Her daughters turned to running restaurants and other pursuits; it was her son who challeged Ed for the Ottawa Centre NDP nomination last month. Same thing in the Lewis clan -- the sons went publicly political, the daughter got married and changed her name and stayed behind the scenes. Ah well, I'm not a fan of political dynasties, and only wish that Paul Martin Sr. had discouraged his scion from following in his footsteps ... .

Have I mentioned lately how I once told Sheila Copps to please shut up ... and she did? ;)

.

[TrogL]

19. You forgot Anne McLellan

I met Judy LaMarsh. I believe my father knew her fairly well. She was definintely a strong "voice" in Canadian politics. I don't understand the need to "survive" her.

I campaign for Anne McLellan, another force in Canadian Politics. She's one step away from being Prime Minister.

[iverglas]

22. surviving Judy

I don't understand the need to "survive" her.

What I meant, of course, was that women in politics in Canada survived the misogynist negative comment about her appearance and (lack of) personal life that was always there. I was a kid -- brainy, outspoken and funny-looking -- when Judy was in Cabinet. She was about the only contemporary Canadian role model for a brainy, out-spoken girl in the 60s, not just in politics, and that made it seem that being brainy and out-spoken also meant being funny-looking and dateless. I had to "survive" her externally-imposed image, personally -- my uncle in fact called me "Judy". ;)

She was the only major female figure in Canadian politics at the time, and one of the first to become such under her own steam (not as a "widow of", for instance).

Well, there was Charlotte Whitten, mayor of Ottawa in the 60s, ... whom our neighbours might not know is the source of a famous quip (and like Ben Franklin's about liberty and security, it's hard to find an authoritative version):
http://www.legis.gov.bc.ca/hansard/34th2nd/34p_02s_880407a.htm

As Charlotte Whitton, who used to be the mayor of Ottawa, said - somebody asked her what it's like to be a woman in politics: "Well, I'm glad you asked that question. Unfortunately we have to be twice as smart as men. But fortunately that's very easy."

Ted Grant
Judy Lamarsh MP, Liberal Leadership Convention,
Ottawa 1968


To Judy! --
http://www.parl.gc.ca/english/hansard/146_97-03-18/146GO1E.html

... the Hon. Judy LaMarsh, who was responsible for some of the most innovative legislation within the Pearson government. It was under her guidance, as minister of national health and welfare in 1963-65 that the Canada pension plan was implemented and Canada's medicare system was designed.

But Anne McLellan ... well, Flora asked how high Mulroney wanted her to jump when she joined his cabinet, despite her Red Tory principles, and anybody who's in Martin's cabinet is, well, just another Martinite.

.

[Minstrel Boy]

11. "if she wins it could be a major set back for women"

Canadian politics has many extremely gifted women, across the spectrum. It's been a sad fact, however, that the women who have risen to lead their parties have been the wrong women. Flora MacDonald would have been a great leader for the Tories, as would have Rosemary Brown for the NDP, and Deborah Grey would have made a strong, populist chief of the Canadian Alliance.

I hope and think we're too mature a political culture to judge women's competence by Stronach's example. After all, we don't generalize about men by the example of Stockwell Day. ;)

[SidDithers]

18. Too bad Elsie Wayne just retired...

She would have made a great leader for the Conservatives. Just think how many people she could have offended if given a national stage to work on :)

Sid

[iverglas]

9. Belinda's no dummy

Remember -- she can spot commies when she sees them.

There are no unions allowed at daddy's company -- which even got Austria to allow it to break the local rules about mandatory employee associations. If we mention that unions are among the parties supporting the health plan, it'll be a no-brainer for her. ;)

.

[Holly]

12. She actually scares me

and she should frighten any Autoworker in this province. Under Belinda, Canada will be a division of Magna.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

13. She needs to be defined.

Because Stronach is new to the game, she has not yet been defined on the issues. This opens an opportunity for us to define her ourselves. Defining Belinda as anti-union may be very useful, particularly for the NDP.

[iverglas]

20. union / CAW and Belinda

You've read that link of mine about anti-union practices at Magma, right?

Damn, I can't find the particular one. But put this:

site:www.caw.ca magna

in Google's search box, and find about 3 dozen articles on the CAW site having to do with Magna.

Ah, here we are: "Democracy, Magna-Style"
http://www.caw.ca/news/factsfromthefringe/issue14.asp

And http://www.caw.ca/whatwedo/bargaining/cbpac/2002program/chapter15.asp

The CAW successfully organized Magna's seating plant in Windsor in 1999. The 700 workers voted to join the CAW even though Magna management bombarded them with anti-union propaganda, held private audience meetings and played "vote no" messages on the TV monitors in the workplace.

The company fought the CAW win at the OLRB for over a year before they agreed to bargain a first collective agreement. These determined workers ratified their first collective agreement and are now members of CAW Local 444. They serve as an inspiration to all unorganized workers by refusing to let the company's anti-union hardline and unfavourable labour laws stand in their way. In the Independent Parts Sector for instance, where about 50 per cent of the workers are organized, pressures from unorganized workplaces make it increasingly difficult to bargain good agreements for our smaller organized independent suppliers. These unorganized suppliers often undercut unionized suppliers by keeping their workers underpaid and by denying them decent benefits.

As I've mentioned, the Magna vs. unions fight goes back to when I was an undergrad pup, over 30 years ago. The monster fight they put up to stop their employees from voluntarily unionizing should definitely be brought up at every opportunity. Belinda Stronach didn't become CEO until 2001, but it's not like she wasn't part of it all.

.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

21. Yeah, I've seen a lot of the press on this, seems like an achilles heel.

I have no doubts we will be able to paint her as the corporatist elitist with no regard for the regular worker.