On battle lines

Come to think of it, there may be ample reason why neither the Cons nor the Libs are considered competent by the public when it comes to health care. The Globe and Mail reports that while Harper and Dion bicker about how to force an election for reasons with nothing to do with policy, the Canadian Medical Association has moved from a leader who kept his support for privization on the back burner to one who plans a full frontal assault on public service delivery:

The natural next step for Canada's health system is allowing more private delivery, which will give patients more choice, and better access to care, the new president of the Canadian Medical Association says.

“My whole career has been about resolving access issues. This is my battle horse,” said Robert Ouellet, who takes over Wednesday as president of the CMA...

“I've never hidden what I do. I'm not ashamed of it. In fact, I'm quite proud,” he said in an interview in his spartan office in suburban Laval.

Fortunately, the medical community isn't lacking for members who are willing to speak up about the need to keep health care in public hands. And the more the CMA pushes privatization into the public eye, the more likely voters will be to recognize the importance of representatives in both the health care system and the political system who aren't so distracted by partisan wrangling as to lose track of the fight to improve public health care.