The chairmen of two commissions looking at the future of Medicare in Canada are in a clear conflict- of–interest position and cannot be trusted to make decisions that are in the best interests of all Canadians.

That was the conclusion reached in an editorial published in the Toronto Star, one of Canada’s largest and most influential newspapers.

The editorial focused on Senator Michael Kirby, who is chair of a special Senate commission on Medicare.

The problem, according to the Star, is that in addition to his duties with the Senate, Kirby is also a director of Extendicare Inc. a giant for-profit corporation that runs thousands of private nursing homes and offers a wide variety of private home health care services.

The Star says that Kirby’s position on the board of a corporation that would benefit directly from increased health care privatization makes him unsuitable to put forward recommendations on the future of Medicare.

"It's an obvious conflict of interest, and it shows in the committee's disregard for the values of the Canadian public and their strong support of Medicare," wrote the Star.

A similar problem exists at the provincial level here in Alberta. Don Mazankowski, chairman of the Alberta government’s Advisory Council on Health Care, is also a director of Great-West Life Assurance, a Winnipeg company that sells "coverage for expenses not covered by your provincial health plan."

If the Alberta government implements medical savings accounts or de-lists Medicare services – as Mazankowski’s commission is suggesting -- Great West Life would benefit as people rush to purchase supplementary health insurance from the private sector.

Both Kirby and Mazankowski say they will not be unduly influenced by their business connections. But can they really be trusted to protect Medicare when dismantling it would benefit their companies?