Tommy Douglas fought his entire political career to establish, expand and protect universal healthcare in Canada. It is his greatest legacy, a cornerstone of Canadian society and a fundamental part of our national identity and pride. But as Tommy Douglas warned us long ago, it is marked for destruction as it faces threats from privatization and chronic underfunding. We must act now to preserve and strengthen our public healthcare system.
In consultation with stakeholders and public health policy experts, we have put together 4 main points that we call upon policy makers in Canada to address:
- Ensure Accountability in Healthcare Funding: Implement conditions on federal healthcare funding to provinces, ensuring these funds are used exclusively for public healthcare services, with comprehensive oversight and accountability measures.
- Combat Healthcare Privatization: Strengthen regulations to prevent private, for-profit entities from encroaching into the healthcare sector, ensuring healthcare remains a public good rather than a commodity.
- Increase Investment in Public Healthcare: Address chronic underfunding by investing in public hospitals, clinics, and infrastructure, ensuring timely and high-quality medical services for all Canadians.
- Support Healthcare Workers: Improve working conditions, wages, and support for training and retention of healthcare professionals to maintain the quality and accessibility of healthcare services.
We believe these measures are critical to safeguarding the integrity of Canada's public healthcare system and ensuring it remains universal, publicly funded, and accessible to all Canadians.
