Majority of Liberals support public health care, enforcing the Canada Health Act, and expanding pharmacare despite federal cutbacks
Two hundred health care workers and advocates discovered that many Liberal MPs are concerned about Alberta’s Bill 11 introducing two-tier health care to the province, with two-thirds supporting the use of the Canada Health Act to ensure health care is based on need rather than ability to pay.
Volunteers asked Parliamentarians whether they agreed with several policy options and ranked the responses. Highlights of a ‘What we heard report’ that examines report backs from meetings with 87 Parliamentarians, including 36 Liberal MPs, include:
- Two thirds of Liberal MPs either strongly agreed or agreed to enforce the Canada Health Act, including pausing federal health care transfers to provinces and territories that don’t adhere to principles of providing access to health care to everyone without financial barriers. Twenty-two per cent were neutral on the question while 11 per cent either disagreed or strongly disagreed.
- Seventy-five per cent of Liberal MPs either strongly agreed or agreed that federal money should go towards the public health care system and not towards private, for-profit providers, while 22 per cent were neutral and three per cent strongly disagreed. Fewer Conservative MPs, only 25 per cent, felt that federal money should go towards the public health care system and not towards private, for-profit providers.
- Seventy-five per cent of Liberal MPs strongly agreed or agreed with continuing to build pharmacare by enrolling the remaining provinces and territories, and funding public coverage of essential prescription medications. Twenty-five per cent of Liberals, many of them first-time Liberal MPs, were neutral on pharmacare while three per cent disagreed with universal pharmacare.
- Strong support across party lines for health care workers being included in discussions on the future of health care.
“The Canada Health Act specifies that health care should be accessible and universal,” says Jason MacLean, Chair of the Canadian Health Coalition. “Based on what we heard in our meetings with MPs, Prime Minister Mark Carney clearly has the support of his caucus for protecting and expanding our public health care system. It’s time to enforce the Canada Health Act and stop two-tier health care.”
