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With the passage of Bill 60 (the Your Health Act) this past Monday, Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have signalled their intent to undermine universally accessible, publicly administered health care in Ontario.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of Bill 60 is that it will remove a portion of ‘medically necessary’ procedures from public oversight, potentially making essential medicare less accessible for some, and more expensive for everyone.
The most effective solution to resolve the current surgery backlog and restore dignity to staff and patients is a fully funded public system. Unfortunately, we have a government hell-bent on turning public money into private profit.
Make no mistake, the current healthcare crisis has been manufactured by Ford’s Conservatives for this very purpose; Bill 124 capped nurse’s wages, and $7.2 billion of funding budgeted for healthcare has NOT been spent. The result, predictably, has been emergency room closures and understaffed hospitals with empty operating rooms across the province.
Equally as predictable is Doug Ford’s penchant for privatization. If you squint, you can almost see Doug Ford breaking a promise as he’s making it. (“We won’t touch the Greenbelt,” anyone?) Despite statements to the contrary, you may in fact be paying with your credit card, not your OHIP card. Illegal billing and upselling are already endemic to existing for-profit clinics, and Bill 60 does nothing to prevent this as it outsources more procedures.
Privatization is already undermining public health in Ontario. For example, 80 per cent of deaths occurred in for-profit long-term care homes during the pandemic, and antimicrobial-resistant superbug outbreaks in hospitals have been attributed to private cleaning companies that cut corners to pad their profits. Once shareholders get their fingers into the public purse, the profit motive takes over, funnelling money away from care.
With voter turnout in the last election at an all-time low, Doug Ford now understands that when people stay home, he wins. He needs to be reminded that he serves Ontario, not a minority of well-connected insiders and party donors. He may soon realize he has awakened a sleeping giant.
To demand a fully funded public system, vote in the Ontario Health Coalition referendum online at ontariohealthcoalition.ca or find your local polling location May 26 to 27.
Nick Clayton
Town of The Blue Mountains
