Delays and distortions

It's no secret that backers of privatization have consistently managed to throw away public money in order to achieve their goal of pushing more activity into the for-profit sector. But Quebec's latest hospital announcement adds a new twist, as the usual illusory cost savings are also being accompanied by a two-year delay in completion:

Twenty-two years after it was proposed, Montreal's first superhospital should be ready for its first ambulance in 2013.

That's two years later than the most recent completion forecast, but the latest delay, incurred by the government's decision to proceed with the superhospitals as public-private partnerships, should save the province more than half a billion dollars, Health Minister Philippe Couillard said yesterday.

That saving does not reduce the announced $3.6-billion price tag, Couillard insisted...

(Finance Minister Monique) Jerome-Forget, who makes no secret of her enthusiasm for PPPs, said the process to determine whether new infrastructure projects would follow the PPP or conventional model would be used for future initiatives, as well.

It's remarkable that the Quebec Libs (and indeed the other two largest provincial parties) appear so completely oblivious to the history of P3s elsewhere, notably in B.C. and in the U.K. And it would seem that the attempt to push back completion of the project at no cost reduction (even before costs get inflated in the future) should only offer one more strong hint at what Quebeckers should expect in years to come if the trend continues.

But with Quebec's government offering just one more indication that it's more interested in privatizing the health sector than improving it, the need for a strong voice for public health care in Quebec has never been more obvious. Which means that the main question now is whether the parties seeking to reverse that order of priorities can get their message to the forefront before it's too late.