Saskatchewan advocacy group rallies for new health accord

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SASKATOON – The 2004 Canada Health Accord expired on March 31, prompting the Canadian Medical Coalition to hold a national day of action.

The accord provided public health care with a $41-billion injection in funding, but the Government of Canada has refused to sign a new one.

Recent rallies were held in more than 40 communities across Canada, aimed at changing the Tories’ stance.

A number of questions have since been raised about what type of impact the feds’ decision will have on the quality of health care Canadians will receive in the future.

That was reason enough for Joan Bell and advocacy group The Raging Grannies to show up at a Saskatoon rally on Monday.

“This is one way I feel I can fight for justice. I can fight for peace, I can fight for health care,” said Bell.

Bell has been a longtime advocate of medicare and so has Stan Rice, the president of the Saskatchewan Health Coalition.

“What we’re going back to is a system where everyone’s providing their own services in a different manner. So what you might get here in Saskatchewan, you might not get in Alberta and B.C.,” said Rice.

Some of the key priorities under the Canada Health Accord included primary health care, home care, drug coverage and access to medical and diagnostic equipment.

The concern now is that provinces will have to shoulder more of the costs and risks associated with medicare.

The coalition says for Saskatchewan that may translate into a loss of over $100 million each year in federal health transfers over the course of 10 years until 2017.

“I’d like to see the prime minister return to the table with the premiers,” says Dr. Ryan Meili, Canadian Doctors For Medicare vice chair.

“So a change of heart for the prime minister – or perhaps a change in prime minister if he’s not going to have a change of heart.”

Global News contacted the Federal Ministry of Health and was sent a written statement: “The Government of Canada remains committed to a publicly funded, universally accessible healthcare system founded on the principles of the Canada Health Act.”

“Rather than tie the hands of provincial and territorial governments with a one-size-fits-all agreement, the government has renewed the Canada Health Transfer to provide them with the flexibility and predictability they need to address their health system priorities.”