What Would You Do If You Had Guaranteed Health Care? | OurFuture.org

Countries with universal coverage free up their citizens to take advantage of personal development opportunities that, in the long run, stimulate the economy and create a more skilled, traveled, educated, and fulfilled workforce. Americans, on the other hand, routinely stay chained to jobs they hate — and are forced to pass up on chances to expand their horizons and their fortunes — because they can’t afford to jeopardize their health care coverage.

Morgentaler among those named to Order of Canada - Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean has named a leading abortion rights crusader to the Order of Canada, news that has outraged anti-abortion groups.

Dr. Henry Morgentaler is one of 75 Canadians to receive honours for their contribution to the country. 

The Governor General announced the new inductees on Tuesday after the names were recommended by an advisory panel.

On June 6th, 2008, the website of the Public Health Agency of Canada quietly added the 2008 report by Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr David Butler-Jones. Normally, as noted in this release by Liberals Dr. Carolyn Bennett and Dr. Ruby Dhalla, such a report to Canadians from a senior public official would be accompanied by news conferences and press advisories.

“The Conservatives sought to bury Dr. Butler-Jones’ report, which offered five recommendations for government action, including the pressing need to reduce poverty,” said Dr. Dhalla. “In particular, the report calls for further examination of income redistribution policies, programs and initiatives so that all families have the resources needed for healthy child development.

“It seems clear that the views of Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer are not compatible with the ideology of his political bosses… Muzzling the man who wrote the report is the next best thing to withholding it,” said Dr. Dhalla.

“Also at issue here is the continuing – and disturbing – trend of this government in its disrespect of senior officials and experts tasked with defending the interests of Canadians,” said Dr. Bennett. “We do Canadians no favour by hiding the truth from them…”

Challenging the Commonplace: Harper Government muzzles Chief Public Health Officer

The private sector has had 20 years to prove that it could deliver low-cost, quality care using those vaunted business-style efficiencies; and it has failed us utterly and completely. This fact should be the ultimate nail in the coffin of the old conservative canard that “the free market always does it better.” If that was true, privatizing health care would have been the shining example that proved it once and for all. Instead, all we got was a colossally expensive national disaster that’s denying full coverage to a third of the country — and putting our health, competitiveness, financial and social capital, and national security at risk in the process. It’s also devastating the aspirations of our entire middle class, which is being hollowed out by our current health policies.

A famous Hebrew prophet once advised his followers to take the log out of their own eyes before trying to remove the splinter from someone else’s. As much as it hurts American pride to admit it, Canada and the rest of the industrialized world has us roundly beat on this one. Those who are so quick to criticize the Canadian system might be better off holding their fire until they’ve shown us they can do better. America, and the world, is waiting. Mythbusting Canadian Healthcare, Part II: Debunking the Free Marketeers | OurFuture.org

It is true that Canada’s system is not the same as the U.S. system. It’s designed to deliver a somewhat different product, to a population that has somewhat different expectations. But the end result is that the vast majority of Canadians get the vast majority of what they need the vast majority of the time. It’ll be a good day when when Americans can hold their heads high and proudly make that same declaration. Mythbusting Canadian Health Care — Part I | OurFuture.org

Poverty is expensive. Just as it is much more costly to treat a disease than prevent one, it costs more to provide emergency hostels than affordable housing, more to take a child into the care of child welfare agencies than to make sure families have adequate incomes and more to cope with school dropouts than to train our youth for the jobs Canada needs to fill in the coming years.TheStar.com – comment – Eliminating poverty makes economic sense

Today the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released The Great CEO Pay Race, by Hugh Mackenzie. The study finds that Canada’s best paid 100 CEOs will have pocketed the national average wage of $38,998 by 10:33 am on January 2nd. The CEO report and an online tool to find out how quickly the top 100 CEOs earn your salary are available at www.growinggap.ca and www.policyalternatives.ca.