Dear Editor:
It has been long known that there are thousands of lobbyists cruising through Parliament.
Of all of them, only one, the Ontario Health Coalition, is a lobby for the voice of the people. All the rest offer consultative and service products.
It seems that successive governments, who have on record, not been accountable for federal transfers, have been persuaded to believe that defunding and skinning health care is the answer to long lineups for care and reduction of clinic and lab services and operations. It has not worked.
One step further, we now hear that our tax dollars will be spread thinner by paying private companies to do the work of the public hospital system and even physician services, both with focused protection by the Canada Health Act 1984.
Given the protection of privacy accorded to corporations, there can never be a guarantee of accountability or transparency from any private provider. So, for those who want to try a two-system administration of health care, you are also responsible for not asking deeper questions about the impacts on the most of Canadian citizens, whose taxes are inadvertently building a private system.
Those impacts have seriously affected middle- and low-income families, long-term care, people dependent on pensions, physicians, nurses, ambulance services, lab testing, auxiliary staffing and more. The items can fill pages.
If you feel that you have not been heard, I strongly invite you to have a say in May and especially on May 26 and 27 when The Ontario Health Coalition is holding a referendum in Guelph and Ontario both virtually and in person.
A referendum is the voice of the people and the goal in Ontario is to receive one million votes to the question, “Do you want our public hospital services to be privatized to for-profit hospitals and clinics?” People can vote “yes” or “no.”
Magee McGuire (advocate),
Guelph