Clement jokes about NDP health concerns

NDP health critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis found out yesterday what you get when you ask the Minister of Health about perceived violations of the Canada Health Act. (I'll give you a hint: it's not a serious, considered response.) The following is the transcript of a brief exchange Tuesday afternoon between Ms Wasylycia-Leis and Conservative Health Minister Tony Clement (pictured above). I've marked the salient comment in red, below.

Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, all across Canada public health care advocates are sounding the alarm. There is for profit surgery in B.C. There is privatizing home care in Ontario and soon to be duelling systems in Alberta and Quebec.

Yesterday CUPE and Canada's nurses were forced to release a how-to book on defending medicare and launched a national campaign to inform Canadians about their health care rights.

Does the Minister of Health agree that the health care system in Canada must remain 100% publicly funded and operated?

Hon. Tony Clement (Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, the position of this government and this party is clear. We support the five pillars of the Canada Health Act, which include universality, accessibility and affordability. We have acted to ensure better access.

The Liberal members are barracking right now. When they were in power, the wait times doubled in the country. We have tackled wait times with the provinces and territories. We put the focus on the patient. We are very proud of that record.

Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, there is something wrong when we cannot get the government to stand up and defend medicare. I suggest the Minister of Health start listening to P.E.I. health coalition activists, who say that islanders are getting ripped off at the hospital.

Residents of P.E.I. must pay for ambulance service, physiotherapy, medically necessary cosmetic surgery, diagnostic tests and new medications not yet approved. The Prime Minister's so-called wait time guarantee has not made wait times in P.E.I. go down at all.

Does the minister at least agree with the suggestion that Canada needs a Health Act ombudsman and an appeal process?

Hon. Tony Clement (Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, she and I at least share one thing, diminutive statures. I was standing up for medicare. Perhaps that was not noticeable where she is in her part of the House.

We do take this seriously. That is why our focus has been on the patients. That is why we have worked with the provinces and territories to ensure health care is a priority for this government and our future governments as well.

(Reprinted from the House of Commons Hansard for February 5, 2008.)

Yikes. I guess that's a resounding "no" to the idea of a Canada Health Act ombudsperson and appeals process -- which, incidentally, seem like entirely reasonable suggestions given the fact that the federal government has had to penalize provinces by withholding portions of federal transfer payments a number of times for CHA violations.

Want some more of that Tory wit? Tony Clement is featured in a Q&A on the cover of the new issue of the National Review of Medicine.

Photo: Ashley Fraser, NRM

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