Canadian leader stumps for Obamacare - The Back Story - Washington Times

Canadian leader stumps for Obamacare

By Amanda Carpenter on June 3, 2009 into The Back Story

Subscribe

The leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party Jack Layton linked the future of his country’s universal health care system to President Obama’s public health care program in a Washington speech Wednesday.

OTHER TOP WASHINGTON TIMES STORIES TODAY:
• EXCLUSIVE: IRS levies lien on Kerry '04 campaign
• EXCLUSIVE: Al Qaeda eyes bio attack via Mexico border
• 'Confidential' U.S. nuclear sites show up on web
• First lady brings message of hope to D.C. school

Many conservative groups have pointed to Canada’s universal health care system as a reason to keep the American health care system in the private sector. Americans for Prosperity Foundation's campaign, for example, launched an ad campaign last week featuring a Canadian woman named Shona Holmes who was diagnosed with brain tumor and says in the ad the only way she survived was by seeking treatment in America.

Mr. Layton accused groups like this of “sowing the seeds of fear with myths and lies about Canadian health care” and said the futures of the two health care programs are dependent on each other in an address delivered at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

“There is no doubt that strengthening of our system in Canada will be easier with public health care in the United States,” Mr. Layton said. “Just as Canada built a strong public health system through a united effort, and just as America must do the same, so too can we strengthen and reinforce the health of all of our citizen through partnership.”

When reached for comment Ms. Holmes quipped “The only partnership we have is a place for desperate Canadians to run.”

Mr. Layton’s trip comes at the beginning of an aggressive effort to ramp up grassroots support for President Obama’s health care plan by Organizing for America. While in Washington, Mr. Layton met with Democrats on Capitol Hill as well as White House Communications Director Anita Dunn.

In the run-up to Mr. Layton’s visit, his party sought fundraising solicitations using an image of an economy-class plane ticket from Ottawa to Washington for the Canadian leader. In the bottom left corner it said: “SUPPORT OBAMA’S FIGHT FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE. PROTECT MEDICARE BACK IN CANADA.”

Comment

There are 87 Comments

kendrajayne

These could end up being bad for the Canadians. If America gets socialized medicine, where are all the Canadians going to get their health care?

Mark as offensive

NoParty

I thought the Dems had a good handle on Socialism. They don't need any lessons from Canada, which still seems to have kept their Banking, Industries and Corporations out of the sticky fingers of Government. We can teach them lessons on Socialism, not the other way around.

Mark as offensive

expatcanuck

The sad thing about comments from people like kendrajayne is that they know zip about healthcare in Canada. As a Canuck in the USA I know both systems, and both have their pros and cons...Canadian's get 99+ % of their healthcare in Canada, and it is high quality, and universal in nature. But if you want extra-high (sometimes over the top) quality for a much smaller percentage of society - those with $$$ - and you are willing to pay for an inefficient bureaucracy of paperwork in the USA (its costs 3X as much per patient in the USA for admin) - then you can have the US system. Wake up ideologues...the world (and healthcare systems) consist of many shades of gray...how about some informed debate? ExpatCanuck ps: the NDP believes in the private ownership of the means of production, in capitalism, in entrpreneurship and innovation...the last time I checked this was not part of the definition of socialist.

Mark as offensive

markwm

You have the name of the party wrong: Layton's the leader of the New Democratic Party.

Mark as offensive

cannonball

I am also an expat canuck and what expatcanuck says about the high cost of healthcare in the US is true but that is because of government involvement in it. All of the bureaucracy and paperwork down here is generally due to Medicare and Medicaid and other insurance company requirements. Both of those government programs (medicare and medicaid) are broke in more ways than one. I am in Canada with my family every summer. Twice I have been very ill and was frantically trying to find a doctor in my small hometown to see me. My mother who is 77 broke her ankle on her arrival in Ontario last month. She didn't get a cast on for two weeks while she waited to get an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon in a town 40 miles away. I read that last year the Canadian government a billion in payments to their own citizens for expenses incurred by those citizens while obtaining healthcare in the States. In adddition, the Canadian government does not provide the access to all of the drugs we can get here. I've heard the reason for that is that once the drug is approved, the government has to supply it and many of these drugs are very expensive. Finally, my Canadian friends lament their lack of any type of serious military. They simply do not have the funds to support any kind of real defense due to their budget being so heavily taken up in healthcare and other social programs. So not only are we their backup on heathcare - we are also their backup in the event of any kind of military attack on them. Having said all of that, I love Canada and will continue to go there. As NoParty pointed out, we here in the States need no lessons on socialism from the Canadians. We are moving far, far to the left of them. So far, they have refused the over-the-top spending and takeovers that we are engaged in. Maybe some day, I'll repatriate.

Mark as offensive

Nepenthe

expatcanuck, 99+ %. 1) Where did you get that number? 2) does that study take into account the financial disparity of people seeking US health services (i.e. richer people can afford to come into the US for service and therefore by-pass an inferior system?) 3) what is the waiting time for services in Canada? 4) with your system do you have an abundance of doctors available?

Mark as offensive

orthodoc

Sorry, expat, as a refugee from the Great White North, I disagree strongly. And I do know plenty about Canadian health care - I trained in it for eight years. The Canadian medical system has worsened substantially over the last 15 years; the infrastructure has not been maintained, the provincial governments have begun to resort to outright thuggery to force physicians to go to "underserved" areas, and the problems will worsen substantially as the boomers retire, since the demographic bulge is more pronounced in Canada. As for high quality of care, when you have significant rationing by wait list, as you do in Canada, there is no care, regardless of quality. as per Sally Pipes, a few facts: The average wait between seeing a primary-care doctor and getting treatment by a specialist is four months; 750,000 Canadians are on a waiting list for some medical procedure; 3.2 million Canadians are waiting to get a primary-care doctor. These numbers are enormous when you consider that Canada has a population of 33 million — about the size of California. Any "informed debate" has to ask why anyone thinks that a government entity has the interests of patients at heart. As for the NDP, they may not call themselves socialist, but they are strongly leftist - and I've never heard an NDPer in favor of capitalism, entrepreneurship, or innovation of any kind.

Mark as offensive

fitz5

So.. the Canadian "socialist" solution to improving THEIR healthcare problems is to make the US healthcare system no better so people stay in Canada with what they have??? If this is the best healthcare solution (Canada socialism) our President can come up with, he simply either A. hasn't thought hard enough on all the options, or B. he is a stupid man. President Carter wasn't a stupid man but his ideas were.. and he dragged us down a deep, dark hole. It feels like 1978 all over again.

Mark as offensive

jownman

I just don't get the link between socialism and providing health care for every American... for example, look at our other crazy communist programs: national defense, libraries, grade schools, fire protection, police protection, public parks, life guards, the coast guard, public recreation programs, programs that explore space, etc. The definition of socialism: state run programs for everyone! So when the government wants to reach out and help those people who can't be insured due to a pre-exisiting condition, such as cancer or diabtese, or who simply can't afford it - that's the end all, be all... we're officially socialist? New flash - we've been socialist since our nation's founding. If you don't like it - get out!

Mark as offensive

robins111

I have a favor to ask of the United States. As a Canadian, I would really like if you kept Taliban Jack down there. You gotta have room in Gitmo for our video professor, come one, we'd do if for you

Mark as offensive

HokiePokie

Ok, I'm an American working in Canada. Have Canadian healthcare available to me but maintain insurance int he US. Two specific instances, a workmate needed bypass surgery and was put on a waiting list....finally had a heart attack and everyone here was thrilled for him because 1. he didn't die and 2. he got moved to the front of the list. Second case is where workmate suffered an injury and needed an MRI.... started physical therapy without a diagnosis. I know we have problems in the US but socialized medicine is not the way to go. Canada is also about the population of California. Can you imagine how inefficient socialized medicine would be in the US... think DMV, IRS,

Mark as offensive

Marjo

As an expat, trained lawyer and economist, and past student of the CDN and US healthcare systems, I can tell you that "expatcanuck" is completely wrong. Further, based on his/her comments regarding the New Democrats (NDP), expatcancuck is pretty far to the left. Health care in Canada, although "universal" is rationed - meaning, the resources are limited and not everyone can get good or safe services, promptly or on demand. One example, in Kitchener, Ontario, a young lady started having seizures, etiology unknown. Her family physician (she was lucky enough to have one) sent her to a neurologist (which took her weeks to get into, all the while suffering seizures), scheduled her for an MRI in one of the few machines in Ontario at the time. The wait for an MRI - 6 months as this was not "urgent," meanwhile, she is seizing regularly. Because she had the means, she went over the border to Port Huron, MI, and immediately had an MRI performed at her own expense (roughly $1K US). The MRI showed there was no tumor causing issues and, instead, gave the Neurologist enough diagnostic information to prescribe an anti-seizure medication. Check the Kitchener Record archives on-line. This is a story that occurred in th last year. This is where we are heading if Obama care is passed. Although some reforms could make the system smoother and more cost effective here in the US, I prefer expensive health insurance and having the options of prompt and on demand health care, versus the alternative. When your or yours are ill and times is of the essence, the last thing you want to do is wait to see someone. As for the NDP, totally socialist. They were elected in Ontario in 1991 and were a complete disaster.

Mark as offensive

drsean

Jowman, People like him believe "free healthcare" is great because they don't put anything into the system. They only take! it's free for them. The rest of have to bear a tax hike so he gets "free" care. The Canadian rep Jack Layton is the head of the NDP party. His party has nothing to do with our Democratic Party. His party is equated with communism in Canada. It represents only union agendas. Many of these unions have American chapters (like UAW and CAW). this is really why Layton is here: to push his union and socialist agenda. and by the way national defense, coast guard are responsibilities of the Federal gov as explicitly outlined in the constitution. schooling, police protections, etc. are services required of the States by state Constitutions. Water service is provided by cities per their counsel members. There is no where in the Federal gov or State constitutions that you are entitled to a very expensive service called healthcare for free or really at the burden of taxpayers and healthcare providers. healthcare providers are not your slaves.

Mark as offensive

wakedot

Jownman, First of all Socialism is the government take oer and control of Private Industry. Secondly, Fire, Police, Schools etc are run by Cities or States, not the Federal Government. We do have some Socialist Programs- Social Security-Broke, Medicare and Medicaid- Bankrupting the Country other examples such as the Dept of Agriculture- Subsidizing Farmers ect. The point is our government NEVER makes anything more efficient. We will drown in the Bureaucracy of Commitees in Congress deciding what kind of Health Care your sick family member can recieve. People in England are flown to Thailand and India for Surgery. Do you want your Mom flying to Columbia for Health Care? Wake up! Every person in this country has access to Health Care. They may not like the County Hospital but they will get care there and we already pay for it. There can be useful changes made but giving politicians the right to choose what care you can recieve makes no sense. In Canada it is illegal to get needed care outside the healthcare system, thus they come to the US and pay out of pocket. Maybe I should invest in clinics just accross the US - Mexico Border.

Mark as offensive

CzarObamunism

jownman, let me explain Republic Democracy to you. The USA's federal government was founded to protect us from other countries (national defense), enforce contracts between states, and to enforce the following of the constitution by states. That is it. Our founders knew that the Federal government is something to be feared and contained. Federal education was never intended to be run by the government; it is communist and should be ended. Libraries are a county function. If you don't like them in your town you can leave your town or vote out politicians that fund them. Fire protection, and police protection are a function of city, county, state. The amount you pay in taxes for these services is done through local taxes. It is (thankfully) illegal for the federal government to have a federal police force. Nasa is a federal program that would be cheaper, and more successful if it was done through private companies competing against each other; You are right it should be abolished. It is American for churches, non-profits, charities, etc... to take care of people in need. They are far cheaper to fund and much more efficient than anything the government could ever do. Or about you help out a poor person in need and not ask the government to steal from me to pay for someone. Do you understand that powers were designated to the states so that if a state, or city government became to overpowering people could leave and go to another state, thus maintaining some balance. You can't escape federal powers! Sir if you dislike capitalism, and enjoy socialism there are many places to go (Canada maybe?). I suggest YOU get out. Your kind will be kicked out before too long. True patriots are tired of collectivist rhetoric.

Mark as offensive

‹‹ previous12 3 4 5 6 next ››

Please login or register to post a comment