On poor health

Adam Radwanski points out another glaring weakness in the Libs' platform, as they've largely ignored the single issue that concerns Canadians most. But the problems with the Libs' lack of interest in health care go much further than a choice of messages early in their campaign.

Here's Radwanski's comparison between how the NDP and Libs on the issue:

The Liberal platform, released on Sunday, makes a passing nod in health care’s general direction....

(W)ith the exception of support for caregivers – which, worthwhile though it may be, is rather marginal to the country’s overall health-care challenges – none of this appears to be among Mr. Ignatieff’s top priorities. Instead, he’s mostly playing to voters’ pocketbook angst, through the “family pack” at the heart of his platform.

That set of policies, and the way it’s being communicated, conveys urgency and some degree of creativity. Mr. Ignatieff’s health-care policy displays few signs of either.
...
In Mr. Ignatieff’s absence on the file, Jack Layton is stepping into the void – running television ads devoted entirely to health care, and speaking extensively about it. “The prime minister you elect May 2 will be negotiating with the provinces and territories,” the NDP Leader said Sunday. “With something as important as your family’s health at stake … who do you trust to lead those discussions?”

It’s a question that Mr. Ignatieff, who has a moderately better chance of being prime minister after May 2, would do well to ask – provided, of course, that he’s capable of giving voters much reason to believe he’s the answer.

The problem for the Libs, though, is that they apparently can't do anything of the sort - at least, if one takes their other policy promises seriously.

Of course, part of the problem is that the Libs' platform is only costed for two years. Which means that for the looming 2014 health care negotiations, they aren't able to do much other than speculate about what interest they might have in funding health care once the issue is opened up.

Even assuming that a balanced budget is in sight by 2014, though, the Libs have already made clear what they consider to be the top priority once there's some black ink on the federal balance sheet.

Needless to say, the Libs' package of election baubles wouldn't look quite so family-friendly if it's coupled with a plan to cut corporate taxes in a few years instead of addressing health care. Which likely goes a long way toward explaining both the limited time frame chosen for the Libs' platform projections, and the fact that they're keeping any talk about health care as vague as possible.

But that choice also positions the Libs squarely offside on the issue most important to the general public. And with the NDP doing its utmost to both promote and link itself to what's already the top issue for Canadian voters, that could prove to be a decisive mistake for Ignatieff and company.