Gord Johns

Mr. Speaker, Greeting · 8 wordsit is an honour to be here tonight.Greeting Thanks · 24 wordsI would first like to begin by extending my congratulations to Louise Arbour on her appointment today to serve as Canada’s next governor general.¹Thanks Claims · 27 wordsShe is a human rights champion, and she has had a remarkable career. She will, no doubt, continue to serve our country well in this new role. Procedure · 22 wordsWith that, I would like to turn the topic of debate this evening to Alberta’s Bill 11 and the Canada Health Act.Procedure Claims · 185 wordsIn the last election, the Prime Minister promised Canadians that a Liberal government would protect our values and way of life. The Liberal platform highlighted our public health care system as an example of Canadians’ belief in the common good and a key difference between Canada and the U.S. The Liberal platform pledged to defend the Canada Health Act and told Canadians, “It’s time to return to the foundational values upon which our national health care was developed: ²free of charge, fair, universal, and accessible.” Today, those values are under threat, but instead of fighting for what matters to Canadians, the federal government is looking the other way. This morning, an independent legal opinion was published that confirmed what many have been saying for months.³ Alberta’s Bill 11 violates both the letter and the spirit of the Canada Health Act.⁴ The legal opinion, commissioned by the Canadian Health Coalition, explains that allowing people to pay privately for faster access to medically necessary care creates unequal access based on one’s ability to pay.⁵ In plain terms, Bill 11 would create an American-style, two-tier health care system. The ask · 24 wordsIt is time for the minister to make clear that the government will keep its promise to Canadians and defend the Canada Health Act. Claims · 101 wordsThe minister has called herself “the guardian of the Canada Health Act”, ⁶but since December, she has failed to act on this threat to our public health care system. Today, the Canada Health Coalition held a press conference with health and legal experts, calling for the minister to act, to take a clear position against Bill 11 and to speak about the threats the bill poses for all Canadians.⁷ Jason MacLean, chair of the Canadian Health Coalition, spoke about how the crisis in our health care system, fuelled by Conservative premiers, is seen as a business opportunity by major insurance companies.⁸ Reasoning · 13 wordsThat should concern every Canadian who believes that health care is a right. Claims · 64 wordsDr. Melanie Bechard, the chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare and a pediatric emergency physician at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, also spoke today in Ottawa.⁹ She spoke about how allowing dual practice will impact wait times, stating, “If we are...prioritizing...patients who can pay privately, that means that the majority of patients who rely on the public system will have to wait longer.”¹⁰ Procedure · 4 wordsLet us be clear.Procedure Reasoning · 24 wordsCanadians deserve quicker access to the health care they need, but a two-tier health care system is not a solution to long wait times. Claims · 56 wordsChris Gallaway, the executive director of Friends of Medicare in Alberta, also spoke in Ottawa today and called on the minister to take action to stop Bill 11.¹¹ He said bluntly, “no more delays.¹² No more stalling. No more talking about looking at regulations and implementation. We need you to do your job and show leadership”. Reasoning · 82 wordsIf the federal government fails to enforce the Canada Health Act now, it sends a clear message far beyond Alberta. It tells provinces that the rules can be bent. It tells private interests that our public system is open for profits. Canadians did not build Medicare so that it could be quietly replaced with a system where wealth determines who gets treated first. If the federal government does not act now, it risks opening the door to further privatization across the country. The question · 27 wordsI will ask this again: Will the minister stop stalling, enforce the Canada Health Act and stand up for a health care system that serves everyone equally?