Protecting and expanding those services, auditing the health system ‘line by line,’ and improving accountability over how provinces spend Canada Health transfers discussed in the lead up to April 28 federal election
Have you wondered how the local candidates in Canada’s 45th general election plan to deal with federal health plans?
As Prime Minister, Liberal leader Mark Carney called an early federal election on March 23. Since then, candidates have been lining up to offer their visions for the newly redrawn riding of New Tecumseth-Gwillimbury before voters go to the polls on April 28 — about five months ahead of schedule.
As part of our Canada Votes election coverage, BradfordToday attempted to ask all five registered candidates to explain how they would tackle five key issues in the riding: international trade and tariff threats to the economy, protecting Canada’s sovereignty, the national housing crisis, federal health plans, and crime.
In order of the number of votes received in the previous York-Simcoe riding for each party during the 44th general election in 2021, this is how candidates responded to the question: If elected, how would you address the federal health plans — including transfers to provinces but also the newer dental and pharmacare plans?
Protecting the dental care and pharmacare plans are incredibly important to maintaining a lower cost of living for Canadians.
Four million people across the country are currently covered by our dental-care program, and we plan to expand that by millions more. They would be paying upwards of $1,000 a year in dental costs if they were no longer covered.
It’s also a matter of holding provincial governments accountable.
There has been billions of dollars from the federal government that has been invested in Ontario’s health-care system with very little reciprocation from the Doug Ford administration on where those funds have been directed.
I know for a fact that Alliston’s hospital could use much of that funding.
We have a doctor, health-care worker, nurse, personal supporter, social worker, psychologist — all of that shortage here in the riding.
Bradford West Gwillimbury and East Gwillimbury are incredibly fast developing areas of our riding and there is interest in moving a health-care facility up into this area. It’s just a matter of can we trust the provincial government to use this federal funding allotment to actually benefit the citizens of this riding.
I come from a family of doctors.
I know many people in health care, but they’re front-line workers. I know none of them are happy with the structure of the system, including billing and staffing issues.
My understanding is (health spending) takes up about a third of the (provincial) budget, so how much of that money is going to waste or being misappropriated into the wrong areas?
I don’t understand the complexities of the system enough to try to fix it, but I think the current system that we have is not working as well as it could.
Go through line by line and see where can we get the most bang for our buck.
I think these are expensive programs. There are people in need that can’t afford them themselves, but I think that most people who are gainfully employed or have some kind of wealth about them should be responsible for pharma and dental on their own, because everyone has some kind of coverage through work or extended benefits.
There’s a lot of complexities to it, so I can’t tell you I have an easy fix, because I don’t.
With the dental and the pharmacare plans, that was a very good step forward, but I don’t think that they do enough, because at the end of the day, dental care and prescription drugs are just as much a part of health care as going to the doctor or the hospital.
If you get diagnosed with an illness and you need to take medication long-term to cure it, but you can’t afford the prescription drugs, then the doctor can’t really help you.
Ultimately, we need to expand the Canada Health Act to include dental and pharmacare coverage.
Teeth and prescription drugs are important parts of health care and it’s only right that they be treated as such.
If we want a solidly practical and well-run public health-care system in this country — and I think that it’s fair to say most people in this country want that — then we also need to advocate for better oversight and better management of the Canada Health transfers.
If really we wanted to, we could throw a trillion dollars at the Canada Health transfer, but if it’s not being spent properly, then it’s essentially wasted money.
Editor’s note: Some responses have been edited for length. Scot Davidson (Conservative Party) and Nancy Morrison (New Democratic Party) have not responded to multiple requests for comment as of the publication of this article.
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