Following the Alberta Government’s decision to pass Bill 11, The Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2023 (No. 2), which allows dual practice within public hospitals, NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) wrote to Prime Minister Mark Carney to protect and invest in Canada’s public healthcare system.
“Allowing private, for-profit healthcare to take hold within our public system will not improve health outcomes for Canadians. Instead, it will undermine the public healthcare system and create a two-tiered system that leaves many people waiting longer or paying for the care they need, further straining already stretched household budgets,” Dinn wrote. “I urge your government to review this legislation with the founding principle of Canada’s public healthcare system in mind: universal access based on need, not the ability to pay.”
“I look to our neighbours in the United States, where millions continue to fight for Medicare for All and universal access to publicly funded healthcare. For decades, they have looked to Canada as proof that healthcare should be treated as a right, not a privilege. We cannot allow that legacy to be eroded.”
Dinn also asked the Prime Minister to come back to the table with provinces who did not sign up for the pharmacare program.
“Healthcare extends far beyond a visit to a doctor’s office or an emergency room. It includes access to the medications, medical supplies, and preventive care people need to live healthy lives,” Dinn wrote.
“One in three Newfoundlanders and Labradorians live with diabetes or prediabetes, and for many families, the cost of medications, insulin pumps, and other essential supplies is overwhelming. I currently have a constituent who is being forced to choose between paying for a diabetic pump and accessing home care. No one should ever have to make that choice. Our province should have been at the table to participate in the national Pharmacare program because it has the potential to transform lives and ensure people can access the care they need without financial hardship.”
A full copy of the letter is attached.