Pressing the issue

Layton unveils a huge legislative priority for the NDP - and one which will force the Liberals to put their money where their mouth is on defending health care:

NDP Leader Jack Layton says his party will bring in a bill this fall to ban private medicare...

His bill wouldn't ban existing private services but would stop any future expansion across the country.

Now if the Liberals were willing to enforce the existing Canada Health Act, the new bill would be unnecessary (at least unless a province was willing to give up federal funding in order to allow private care or, for that matter, user fees under s. 19). But Layton is making it clear that if the Liberals won't take obvious steps to defend public health care, then the authority to do so should be placed elsewhere. And that'll leave Martin and company the choice of either playing along, or trying to defend their complete lack of action.