On Monday, March 16th, MHC participated in a national day of action to oppose the privatization of health care underway in Alberta.
Manitobans showed up despite the cold to say NO to two-tier, American-style health care and to demand that the federal government break their silence on what’s happening in Alberta. Alberta’s new privatization legislation introduces two-tier health care, allowing the wealthy few to jump the line – violating principles of universality and accessibility that are core to the Canada Health Act (CHA). This legislation also opens the province up to American, for-profit private insurance for medically necessary services covered by the CHA.
Private insurers don’t just want Alberta – they want the whole country. What happens in Alberta won’t stay there. If we lose our single-payer status under our trade agreements, it will be nearly impossible to keep the American insurance industry out of Canada.
Altogether, privatization of health care violates the basic promise of Canadian Medicare – that access will be based on need, not ability to pay.
Thank you to our awesome speakers and to the Raging Grannies for serenading us! Together we can defeat private health care and build a public system that works for all of us.
Profit doesn’t care. No two-tier health care!