I. The Forgotten Threat

We’re here tonight to address an issue that too many people seem to have forgotten about – and that’s the issue of private health care.

In many ways, it’s an issue that has dropped off the public’s radar screen. We don’t hear about it that often on the evening news and we don’t read about it that often in the morning papers.

Of course, it wasn’t always this way.

Last year at about this time, people were occupying the public galleries at the Legislature; they were phoning radio talk shows; and they were flooding the Premier’s office and the office of the Health Minister with calls and letters – all in an effort to stop the spread of private health care.

At the same time, newspapers and the broadcast media were running almost daily stories on the issue. Even by the government’s own estimation, private health care was one of the biggest issues to hit the Legislature since the beginning of the Klein regime.

II. Bill 37 – Where it all Began

As we know, the thing that set off the storm of protest was an innocuous-sounding bill called the Health Statutes Amendment Act – more commonly referred to as Bill 37.

At first blush, Bill 37 sounded harmless enough. The government described it as a "housekeeping" bill designed to fill gaps in the existing legislation.

But we all know that Bill 37 was and still is about much more than that.

If passed, Bill 37 would have opened the door for a radical change in the way health services are delivered in Alberta . It would have given the cabinet and the health minister power to approve private, for profit hospitals anywhere in the province.

Last spring and again in the fall, the government tried to rush Bill 37 through the Legislature. They tried and they failed.

Thanks to the hard work of a coalition that included health care unions, the Friends of Medicare, the AFL, the New Democrats, seniors groups like SALT and the ACA as well as thousands of concerned individuals – we were able to stop Bill 37, at least temporariliy.

During the month of April last year, our coalition packed the galleries at the Legislature ever night for more than a week; we launched a province-wide radio ad campaign to raise public awareness about the threat posed by Bill 37; and we helped organize a telephone and letter-writing campaign. And we did it all over again when the Bill was re-introduced during the fall session of the legislature.

III. Albertans Oppose Private Health Care

Through our efforts we brought Bill 37 to the public’s attention – and the public responded strongly.

Opinion polls taken over the past year and a half clearly show that the vast majority of Albertans support the campaign against Bill 37.

The polls tell us that Albertans oppose the idea of private hospitals. They oppose the idea of a two-tier health system. And they oppose the notion that private companies should be allowed to make profits off sick and injured.

But it’s not just what we hear from the pollsters. In February, I had the honour of travelling across the province as a member of the Friends of Medicare Health Care Commission.

For two long weeks we criss-crossed the province visiting seven different communities – from Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie in the north to Medicine Hat and Lethbridge in the south.

During the course of our tour, we talked to literally hundreds of Albertans from all walks of life. And the message we heard from them was clear – they told us that they oppose the spread of private health care. And they asked us to keep up the fight to save Medicare.

IV. New Threats to Medicare

As a result of the public outcry against Bill 37, we won some important victories.

The government pulled the bill last spring and again in the fall. These were clear victories for defenders of Medicare – and we should all give ourselves a pat on the back for standing up to the privatizers in the Klein government.

But since last fall, the situation with respect to private health care in Alberta has gotten worse, not better.

In an effort to deal with the opposition, the government established a so-called "blue-ribbon" panel of experts to take a second look at Bill 37. They also organized a Health Summit that they said would act as a forum for members of the public to express their concerns about health care.

So, instead of an outright ban on private hospitals – which is what the majority of Albertans want – we got stalling and sham consultations.

Just this past week, the Premier muddied the waters further by declaring that Bill 37 would not be brought back during the current session of the Legislature – if ever. Out of the blue, he apparently saw the light. He tells us is now that he is a defender of Medicare.

So what are we to make of all of this? Members of the government say they’re considering the concerns of those who oppose Bill 37. They say they’re listening to the public. And the Premier says he has basically given up on Bill 37.

Does this mean that we no longer have anything to worry about?

Now, I certainly don’t want to question the integrity and sincerity of our beloved Premier – but I think I smell a rat.

The Premier and his government may be willing to let Bill 37 die – but the threat to public health care is certainly not gone. In fact, I would argue that Medicare is in more danger than ever.

Even without Bill 37, Medicare is threatened on three fronts. First, it’s threatened by the recommendations contained in the report from the Blue Ribbon panel. Second, it’s threatened by new regulations currently being considered by the College of Physicians and Surgeons. And third, it’s threatened by privatizers in the provincial government and in the business community who as committed as ever to the goal of dismantling Medicare.

V. The "Blue Ribbon" Blueprint

Let’s take a closer look at each of these threats in turn, starting with report from the Blue Ribbon panel.

What’s so bad about the report? Well, to be fair, it’s not all bad. For example, it finally cuts through the phony language that privatizers have been using to mask their true intentions. The panel discarded the term "non hospital surgical facilities" and finally acknowledged what we’re really talking about is private, for-profit hospitals. That’s a small step in the right direction.

Unfortunately, that’s about the only positive thing that came out of the Blue Ribbon panel report.

The big problem with the panel’s report is that it basically accepts the notion that private hospitals should be allowed to set up shop in Alberta. In fact, it outlines a detailed blue print for the establishment of private health care facilities.

Under the panel’s plan we would have a system in which public dollars – taxpayer dollars – would be used to line the pockets of the owners for private hospitals. It’s a system were regional health authorities would be allowed, even encouraged, to contract core Medicare services to private companies.

So – far from providing a plan to protect Medicare – the Blue Ribbon panel has actually come up with a plan for dismantling it. It’s a plan that would replace Medicare as we know it with a public-private hybrid model. It would be the first step towards a full-fledged two-tier system.

The big threat here is that the government will accept the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon panel and use them to form the basis of a new private health care bill – a Bill that would be even worse and even more dangerous than Bill 37.

VI. The College – Privatization Through the Back Door

Of course, the government may choose to ignore the panel’s report. If there is a large enough public backlash against the recommendations, they may simply leave the report on the shelf to collect dust.

Unfortunately, even if that happens, the problems for Medicare in Alberta still won’t be solved. And that brings me to the second threat to public health care.

The second threat comes from the College of Physicians and Surgeons – which ironically is the board of doctors responsible for regulating the medical profession and upholding the basic provisions of Medicare.

The big problem with the College is that it is currently considering new regulations that would allow the establishment of private hospitals.

The College regulations would let private hospitals into Alberta through the back door.

HRG has figured this out. They’re no longer fighting for Bill 37, because they know that the new College regulations would perform the same job.

VII. The Political Threat

But even if we are somehow able to convince the College to back down and withdraw their regulations, we are still not out of the woods. That’s because of the third threat I mentioned – the threat posed by privatizers in the provincial government itself.

As we have seen, the Premier and members of his government have been putting themselves forward as a defenders of Medicare. But their actions tell a different story.

If the government was really committed to Medicare they would not have ignored Oppositions pleas for a ban on private hospitals.

If the government was really committed to Medicare they would not have ignored the clear will of the public on the need to stop the spread of private health care.

If the government was really committed to Medicare they would not have hired a high-priced public relations firm to sell the notion of private health care.

The government’s actions on health care speak louder than their words. If the government really wanted to protect Medicare and stop the spread of private health care it would have been done long ago.

But instead of defending Medicare, they have chosen to back the privatizers. Instead of saying "No" to HRG, they have deliberatly left the door open to private health care.

Looking at the current situation it’s no wonder that the owners of HRG support the Premier when he talks about killing Bill 37. They don’t need it – not when they’ve got a blue print for privatization from the Blue Ribbon panel and cheerleaders at the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Most importantly, the people at HRG and other private health care compaines are smug because they know they still have allies in government and around the cabinet table.

VII. The Danger of Complacency

Clearly, the future of Medicare is still at stake here in Alberta. But, as we near the beginning of summer, there is another danger that we have to consider – and that’s the danger of complacency.

We have won a number of important victories against private health care – but we have not won the war.

There is no indication that the privatizers in government have changed their minds about private health care. And there is no indication that HRG and other private business interests have given up. In fact, they have made it clear that they’re in this for the long haul.

Given these realities, it’s clear that we have to keep up the fight – we can’t drop our guard. Defeating Bill 37 was important – but it was only the first step on the long March to protect Medicare.

VIV. Action for the Future

So where do we go from here? What action do we take?

From my point of view, the first priority has to be the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

At their next meeting in June they will be discussing the new regulations for private hospitals. We have to make sure that members of the College hear the voice of the public. And we have to make sure that College’s deliberations get the kind of public and media attention they deserve.

That means filling the public gallery at the meeting. It means informing the media about what’s going on. It means writing letters to the members of the College and maybe even organizing a rally or protest.

Of course, convincing the College to back down won’t be easy.

Many of the doctors sitting around the board table are conservative politically. Many others have a direct financial interest in expanding the role of private health care. There is absolutely no doubt that many doctors would earn more in a two-tier health care system. So it may be difficult to convince them to do the right thing.

But we can’t afford to do nothing. With Bill 37, the government tried to bring private hospitals in through the front door – and we stopped them. We have to do everything we can to make sure it they don’t sneak it through the back door.

Another important step that needs to be taken in the short term has to do with the Blue Ribbon panel report. The government has asked for public response. We have to give it to them – we have to use this opporunity to send an unequivocal message that Albertans oppose the Blue Ribbon blueprint. We can’t afford to sit on our hands and let the government say "no one complained."

So in the short term – at least over the next month or two – our focus has to be on the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the report from the Blue Ribbon panel.

But over the long haul the real threat is a political one.

As long as people like Ralph Klein, Stockwell Day, Steve West and Halvar Jonson run this province we will have problems protecting Medicare.

In the long run, the only way to really protect Medicare is to elect governments that support and truly believe in it – in their heart of hearts.

Ralph Klein clearly doesn’t believe in Medicare; Jean Chretein and Nancy MacBeth have uneven records. Only the New Democrats have the kind of proven commitment and track record that’s needed to enusre the future of Medicare.

That’s why I maintain that the best and only long term strategy is to elect New Democrats.

As long as people like Ralph Klein have their hands on the levers of power – and as long as people like Jim Suanders from HRG have Ralph Klein’s ear – then Medicare will always be at risk.

At the end of the day, what we really need is a government that believes in Medicare and cherishes Medicare as much as everyday Canadians do. I don’t know about all of you, but I will continue working for the New Democrats until we have that kind of government.

Thanks for this opportunity to speak. Solidarity.