Letter to the Editors Re: Shirley Douglas at City Hall

Dear Editors,

Yes Harris is right: The federal government has cutback on health care spending. But do we need to waste another 3 million dollars making this point that has been made many times before?

And, Yes the federal government is right: who would trust Harris with more money for health care.  After all, the Harris government that spent hundreds of millions of dollars laying off nurses and now is spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to rehire them.  They have forced hospitals into private sector partnerships, privatized many services, and cut hospitals without a plan to protect the public’s health. Harris has failed to deal with the crucial issue of primary care reform. In home care, the conservatives have  created a  system that wastes millions of dollars, is chaotic and is increasingly controlled by  multinational for-profit health care businesses.

The problem is that both levels of government have chosen to focus on tax cuts, and fighting each other, rather than focussing on improving our public health care system. Though our governments are making it harder, it is a tribute to the health care system we have built over the last 40 years that most of us can still get the health care we need.

.  On May 4, at 7pm,  Shirley Douglas, a spokesperson for the Canadian Health Coalition, actress, and daughter of Tommy Douglas, the father of Medicare, will be speaking at City Hall on recent developments in the battle for public health care.  Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend.

 We need to take up the battle to defend and improve public health care This is our issue.  It is to important to leave it to the federal and provincial governments.