The NDP leader said today that if Justin Trudeau's Liberal government does not take action to defend public health and seek solutions to the health care crisis the NDP could use "every option" they have on the table to pressure them. Some of those options, Sighn said, when questioned by reporters, could be to withdraw from the agreement with the Liberals or make life very difficult for them in government in Congress.
We strongly believe that healthcare must remain public, this is one of our pillars, and Canadians are also very proud to have a system that does not distinguish or discriminate based on money, or how much a person earns, whether they are poor or rich, a system that provides care to all. So it must remain public, and we know that there will always be these pressures from those who see an opportunity to make money from public health and bring in privatization, this is something we will always oppose and fight against. So all the cards are on the table, if the government is not willing to defend the public health system, we will use all the options we have. We have the power to do many things, we can withdraw our support, we have the power to make things very difficult for them in parliament, there are many options on the table.
The NDP yesterday called on the federal government to condition the health funding being requested by the provinces on the non-privatization of services. This after the premier of Ontario announced the contracting of private clinics to perform surgeries and diagnostic studies with public funds.
The move has raised concerns that this could cause an exodus of doctors and nurses to the private sector, leaving hospitals worse off.