Federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh seems to be softening his statements on privatization.
After the June 28 election, Dosanjh bluntly vowed to stem the tide of privatization, suggesting Ottawa was planning to contain private delivery and enforce the Canada Health Act. What a difference a briefing makes. Now, it sounds like his handlers have gotten a grip on him.
Last week, the minister had a much softer message. Dosanjh told the Vancouver Sun that he was not opposed to private delivery and that he does not intend to roll back existing private care facilities. The former British Columbia premier said that he wants to ensure that we put more in resources, are more creative, so that people dont feel they have to look elsewhere.
Dosanjh is also softening his language on the federal governments role, saying that its job is not to monitor, not to dictate, but to ensure that we nudge each other as different jurisdictions to come together to provide universal care.
Without guarantees that waiting lists will be reduced using public delivery, Canadians can be sure that for-profit operators will be cashing in. The governments job is indeed to monitor and to dictate if provinces are breaking the Canada Health Act by letting for-profit health care grow.