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 CUPE has a long history of fight the privatization of health care in this country. Below is a letter to the editor I wrote to the Globe and Mail in response  to the article “Private-public debate erupts anew over sale of Shouldice Hospital”. You can read the original article here: 

Dear editor,

Picard’s article outlines an important decision facing the Government of Ontario. The proposed sale of the family-owned Shouldice Hospital to a US-owned large multinational corporation is an opportunity for the government of Ontario to take a leadership role in protecting public health care.

Picard argues that the specialized services offered by the Shouldice hospital are worth the price of privatization.  But the price of privatization is high. Numerous studies show that governments usually pay between 15 to 30 per cent more for contracted-out hospital services delivered by for-profit providers, compared to public or not-for-profit delivery.

Surely, we can offer these services without going to multi-national corporations. 

There may be a place in our health care mix for more specialization, but specialization does not automatically equate to privatization. There is no reason why Shouldice Hospital should be sold to a US company, when it could be folded into the public system as a not-for-profit.

Yours truly,

Paul Moist

National President

Canadian Union of Public Employees