The 2004 election was built around the issue of health care, with Paul Martin claiming he would fix health care "for a generation," and Stephen Harper promising to drastically shorten wait times. This time around, parties have not campaigned heavily on the issue, despite Canadians retaining it as a top concern. Party platforms unanimously promise to address the shortage of doctors and nurses, usually, though, directing recruits to areas where they are needed.
CONSERVATIVES
A recently released party platform says a Conservative government would take additional steps to ensure that communities and hospitals have more doctors and nurses where they are most needed. The party would also take creative measures to tackle major lung, heart and neurological diseases and end discriminatory life insurance practices.
LIBERALS
Stephane Dion says he would establish a Doctors and Nurses Fund to increase the number of trainees for needed specialties, help foreign-trained doctors get their Canadian qualifications quicker and forgive $10,000 in student loans for those who settle in under-serviced communities. His party would avoid private, for-profit health care and close the health gap faced by aboriginals. It would also help families struck by serious illness cover the cost of medicine and continue funding for Insite, Vancouver's supervised injection site for drug addicts.
NDP
The NDP says it would increase the number of doctors and nurses by 50% across Canada. They would forgive the student loans of health professionals who dedicate the first 10 years of their careers to family medicine and expand addiction and prevention programs. The NDP is committed to stopping private, for-profit health services, would create a prescription drug program to phase in coverage for all citizens. It would also dedicate 1% of the health budget to promoting fitness and amateur sports.
GREEN PARTY
Elizabeth May's party would focus on making Canadians healthier by investing $500-million over five years to address inactivity and obesity. The party opposes privatized, for-profit health care and would also institute a universal PharmaCare program to keep Canadians from spending more than 3% of earnings on medication and treatments. It would also provide more money to hire staff, train more doctors and nurses and forgive portions of student loans for those who staff under-serviced communities.
THE EXPERTS SAY
Pamela Fralick, president of the Canadian Healthcare Association, said while the parties have shied away from discussing health care, "Canadians in polls keep identifying it as their number one, two or three issue."
Promises to address the shortage of health care workers are on the right track, but each party has failed to address the question of a crumbling "bricks and mortar" system. "These are the tough overheads the provinces and municipalities just can't deal with." source
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