This morning in the Leader-Post (and online) we had a piece published challenging some of the audacious talking points from SecondStreet's Nov 30 op-ed in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. The full version of our letter to the editor can be found below:
As predicted by Christopher Holcroft in a 2023 Hamilton Spectator Op-ed, billionaire supported think tanks like SecondStreet.org are advocating to open up our public healthcare system to profiteering. Luckily for us though, Canadians consistently defend and are proud of medicare, believing it’s worth keeping and improving.
Free-market focused SecondStreet.org recently published an Op-ed in the Star Phoenix heavily pushing two-tier health care. While seemingly an attempt to address current provincial challenges, it’s aim is to erode confidence in a system that strives to work for everyone, not just the rich. Alongside this, our province continues to explore more avenues of privatization while underfunding public services, then claim it isn’t working - a well known strategy.
The Op-ed has the audacity to say Saskatchewan has an opportunity “as it did in the days of Tommy Douglas, to lead in transforming Canada’s health-care system,” insulting both the point of medicare and Tommy’s legacy.
Let’s be clear: time and time again for-profit health care has shown to compromise quality of care, cost more, fail to address staffing shortages and poor working conditions, and only benefit those rich enough to afford it, leaving many working class and poor people behind. Medicare was created precisely because that “everyone for themselves” private way wasn’t working. We can’t afford to go back.
These corporate talking points always hide a profit motive, and they should make us wary. When we see these groups pushing for private care we must, as Christopher Holcroft said, simply follow the money.
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