Liberal Minority Government 2019 - ????

[shawn5o]

Probably most likely the Liberals will look closely at the Conservatives' rightness before making any big decisions. Health care for instance would depend on how much the Conservatives want to do to make it more like America's, while the NDP push from the other direction to make if more like the best in the world.

The NDP won't tolerate very much dickin around with our health care by Trudeau, assuming that the Liberals are even somewhat still right of center. I suspect that the Liberals have finally got completely on board with universal health care.

While we know that the Conservatives still see eye to eye with the Fraser Institute from time to time.

Can there be any mistaking what Canadians want in that respect any longer?

Hi Don

I think our health care sytem is almost sacrosanct. No party (especially the cpc) will screw around with it (meaning funding). However, talking about some hybrid system such as private/public HC should be examined to see if it could be implented here.

As a sidenote, do you recall the former premier of NFLD & Lab (Danny Williams) with his needed heart surgery? He pee'ed off a lot of Canadians when he elected to have his surgery in Florida instead of in Canada?

What does that tell you?

 

[MilEME09]

I think we should launch something akin to a royal commission on health care. Examine our own system from top to bottom, as well look at the associated costs of adding pharmaceutical and dental into our publicly funded plan. Create a national strategy to reduce wait times, and improve care. Our costs a growing and the quality and efficiency of care are going down, we need to figure out why, and where the drains on the system are and fix it.

 

[GAP]

simple...get rid of all the little in house empires within each and every healthcare facility.

 

[Eaglelord17]

I think we should launch something akin to a royal commission on health care. Examine our own system from top to bottom, as well look at the associated costs of adding pharmaceutical and dental into our publicly funded plan. Create a national strategy to reduce wait times, and improve care. Our costs a growing and the quality and efficiency of care are going down, we need to figure out why, and where the drains on the system are and fix it.

I would be willing to bet if when you go and look at the roots of health care in this country, that since we made it public instead of private the costs have been increasing and what you are actually getting out of it has been decreasing. Fully funded public health care has only been around since 1984 in this country. Since that time we have seen a decrease in capabilities, increase in costs, and a lot of interference in the system. Ontario is a great example when they cut how many doctors they were going to train in the 90s which long term has screwed us. Unions have also likely played a large role in increasing staffing costs, especially when fighting with the government instead of a private company as the government doesn't have as much incentive to be cost effective. We basically elect health care administrators provincially as about 40% of the provincial budget goes towards it. Most of them have no clue about health care.

Not saying we should be public or private, just that it would be very interesting to see if there is a connection with healthcare being made publicly run and the side effects of that long term.

 

[mariomike]

, as well look at the associated costs of adding pharmaceutical and dental into our publicly funded plan.

It can also be negotiated by unions, for their members. Understood not everyone is a union member.

Our benefits included Life insurance / Spouse life, glasses, hearing aids etc., Travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan ( EAP ), AD & D, Extended Health Care (including Drug Plan and Semi-Private hospital coverage) is paid 100% by the City.

That applies to active members of any age. And retired members until age 65.

After age 65, they put you on a Health Care Spending Account ( HCSA ). That continues to age 75. If you pass away before then, the HCSA continues for your spouse ( until what would have been your 75th birthday. )

If I am still around after age 75, the Municipal Retirees Organization Ontario (MROO) for OMERS pensioners offers a plan. It's a good plan. But, you have to pay for it out of your own pocket.

Party politics aside, I would not hold my breath waiting for the government to offer anything similar.

 

[Brad Sallows]

I doubt that public health insurance and health care would be found to increase costs.  "Publicization" tends to increase inefficiencies (costs up, services down), but that effect is swamped by limits (caps) on what is funded, which tends to put a brake on compensation and other cost growth.  Countries that started to establish public footholds in health care in the 1960s managed to mostly avoid that.  The US is a notable outlier, which is why it will have a hard time moving closer towards a single-payer system without severely compromising benefits.  It is politically too difficult to roll back the post-1960s compensation gains of medical professionals and workers.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I think we should launch something akin to a royal commission on health care.

So, what you're saying is, you don't want to see any meaningful results from an expensive, ineffective, decades long, politically hamstrung dog and pony show?

 

[Donald H]

Hi Don

I think our health care sytem is almost sacrosanct. No party (especially the cpc) will screw around with it (meaning funding). However, talking about some hybrid system such as private/public HC should be examined to see if it could be implented here.

I disagree completely with a hybrid system Shawn. That amounts to a two-tier system ini which the wealthy receive better than the rest of the people. IMO it's not the route to a better universal health care system.

As a sidenote, do you recall the former premier of NFLD & Lab (Danny Williams) with his needed heart surgery? He pee'ed off a lot of Canadians when he elected to have his surgery in Florida instead of in Canada?

What does that tell you?

Again, IMO Danny was involved in a political play to attempt to make our system look bad due to wait times. But having said that, there's no reason why wealthy people shouldn't be allowed to go wherever they choose in the world for quicker treatment.

Nearly two and a half times more Americans travel out of country for health care than do Canadians. (per capita)

:cheers:

 

[Donald H]

I think we should launch something akin to a royal commission on health care.

Yes!

Examine our own system from top to bottom, as well look at the associated costs of adding pharmaceutical and dental into our publicly funded plan.

Pharma and dental would increase costs and that is something the Conservatives wouldn't back. But they would likely accept  bringing in private insurance to cover those. I would suggest that the reason why it hasn't happened is because it couldn't be made viably cost effective. The American system that stands alone in the developed modern world has never given any indication that it can compete with any universal health care system. It's nearly twice as expensive as Canada's and doesn't even cover all their people.

Create a national strategy to reduce wait times, and improve care. Our costs a growing and the quality and efficiency of care are going down, we need to figure out why, and where the drains on the system are and fix it.

The first priority of a national strategy would require more funding but other remedies could possibly be found. This is a good place for everybody to provide some examples.

Personally, I have no suggestions at the moment that wouldn't require spending money. Other people's money. Knowing that our health care is close to half the cost of the US system, it appears that there is some room for just that!

 

[Jarnhamar]

Ezra Levant
https://twitter.com/ezralevant/status/1304796224093147136
Ten years ago pro-Trudeau charities were audited for WE-style corruption by the @CanRevAgency
One of them was @gmbutts charity @WWFCanada
When Trudeau took office, Butts ordered CRA auditors to stand down. Butts is a corrupt crook. Source:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-revenue-agency-political-activity-diane-lebouthillier-audits-panel-report-suspension-1.4099184

The Liberal government is suspending the few remaining political activity audits of charities after an expert panel report recommended removing a political gag order imposed on them by the Conservatives five years ago.

 

[shawn5o]

Ezra Levant
https://twitter.com/ezralevant/status/1304796224093147136
Ten years ago pro-Trudeau charities were audited for WE-style corruption by the @CanRevAgency
One of them was @gmbutts charity @WWFCanada
When Trudeau took office, Butts ordered CRA auditors to stand down. Butts is a corrupt crook. Source:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-revenue-agency-political-activity-diane-lebouthillier-audits-panel-report-suspension-1.4099184

Hi Jarnhamar

I do not support charities that use a political voice. Simple reason - taking the king's coin or along those lines. I mean if an charity takes money from ppl/orgs then their allegience is with the donors. And in the CBC article, note who the panel mbrs are:

Panel members include the CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation, Peter Robinson, and a charities lawyer and partner at Miller Thomson, Susan Manwaring.

That brings up a red flag to me 

Sometimes I wish that Ezra wouldn't be so sensational in reporting

 

[Haggis]

Some news outlets are reporting that the Liberals have temporarily abandoned their $100B green focused COVID-19 economic recovery plan and will instead focus on the short term pandemic mitigation in the Speech from the Throne.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Jagmeet Singh bought and paid for.


Liberals, NDP vote to shut down Conservatives' renewed push to examine WE affair

OTTAWA -- The Liberal and NDP members on a House of Commons committee voted on Tuesday to sunset another Conservative attempt to examine the WE Charity scandal, and invite the prime minister and key members of his cabinet to testify.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/liberals-ndp-vote-to-shut-down-conservatives-renewed-push-to-examine-we-affair-1.5134751

 

[Halifax Tar]

Jagmeet Singh bought and paid for.


Liberals, NDP vote to shut down Conservatives' renewed push to examine WE affair

OTTAWA -- The Liberal and NDP members on a House of Commons committee voted on Tuesday to sunset another Conservative attempt to examine the WE Charity scandal, and invite the prime minister and key members of his cabinet to testify.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/liberals-ndp-vote-to-shut-down-conservatives-renewed-push-to-examine-we-affair-1.5134751

Who didnt see this coming ?  Is the NDP even an independent party anymore ?

 

[Old Sweat]

Who didnt see this coming ?  Is the NDP even an independent party anymore ?

There is precedent for this sort of deal. In the 1972 Federal election the Liberals were reduced to a minority, with a two seat edge over the PCs. The NDP agreed to support the Liberals in return for the introduction of some social programs such as a big boost to unemployment insurance. In due course, with an improved position in the polls, the Liberals went for and won a majority in a Federal election.

 

[YZT580]

There is precedent for this sort of deal. In the 1972 Federal election the Liberals were reduced to a minority, with a two seat edge over the PCs. The NDP agreed to support the Liberals in return for the introduction of some social programs such as a big boost to unemployment insurance. In due course, with an improved position in the polls, the Liberals went for and won a majority in a Federal election.

and, if I recall, the NDP were reduced to a rump party that was of absolutely no consequence for the following decade.  There wasn't enough of a difference between their two platforms to warrant voting for the third party when your riding could be represented by a government member along with the attendant perks and bribes.  Singh has just put the blocks to his party.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

and, if I recall, the NDP were reduced to a rump party that was of absolutely no consequence for the following decade.  There wasn't enough of a difference between their two platforms to warrant voting for the third party when your riding could be represented by a government member along with the attendant perks and bribes.  Singh has just put the blocks to his party.

I am sure that he will land on his feet with a senate appointment or an ambassadorship...

 

[ArmyRick]

Singh is absolutely terrible. IMO, he has buried the NDP. In on instance he calls Trudeau behavior "racist" (black face scandal) and then he backs him on how many motions? To gain what?

Ever since has come in as an MP, he has been mum on the serious issues and occasionally makes some noise.

This latest scam of "Lets NOT look into the alleged corruption of Trudeau Government and WE" absolutely looks disgraceful on both Trudeau and Singh.

 

[Brad Sallows]

The federal NDP seem to have two factions divided roughly into the people who will play hardball and know that the path to government is right through the Liberals; and people who just want an occasional tweak to EI and "ABC" at all costs, including self-irrelevance.  Layton seems to have been the last leader of the former; since his death, the handmaids-to-Liberals faction has been ascendant.

 

[YZT580]

I am sure that he will land on his feet with a senate appointment or an ambassadorship...

The liberals look after their own ONLY.  After the NDP voted non-confidence in 74 I can't recall David Lewis, their leader, getting either a senate seat or a foreign posting and he was far more qualified for either than Singh is.  For him it will be 'thanks for your help, see you around, don't let the door catch you on the way out'