The National Post reported in "Keith Martin: Do's and Dont's for reforming health-care" on Nov.8, 2010:
"Dr. Keith Martin, the Liberal MP, is continuing his campaign to encourage a realistic debate over health care reform (as opposed to just talking about it, which is the preferred option in Ottawa and 10 out of 10 provinces).
His suggestion last month that Canadians should have the right to pay for health care outside the system if they wished had his own party doing backflips to separate themselves from his dangerous ideas. “That is absolutely not a solution to any of the problems that we’re facing today,” said Ujjal Dosanjh, a charter member of the Status Quo club. Liberal policy is to acknowledge that something really needs to be done, while refusing to address any serious alternatives.
But Martin isn’t backing down. Today he expanded his view with a list of criteria for repairing the system:
Health Care Reform Do’s and Don’ts
by Keith Martin, M.P., M.D.
Don’t:
• Allow people to pay to jump ahead of the queue in the public system
• Allow people to divert taxes to private services. Everyone will pay taxes and ALL will have access to the public system. This is akin to our education system that has private and public schools. People who pay tuition for their children to attend private schools still pay taxes that pay for public schools.
Do:
• Look at 17 of the 20 top health care systems that are all in Europe. All provide for better access to quality care when people fall ill at a lower cost (Canada ranks 22nd in the world, the US is 26th).
• Allow people to pay for health care services in completely separate private clinics. ONLY private monies would pay for these clinics and services.
• Enforce common standards for public and private health services.
• Develop a medical manpower strategy.
• Allow physicians to provide essential services in the private sector if they spend a minimum of 50% of their time working for the public system.
• Allow hospitals to be paid on the basis of patient services rendered as opposed to receiving block funding alone.
• Implement a National Head Start Program for Children. This is a powerful preventative program.
• Implement E-technologies to improve the flow of medical information e.g. E-Health records.
That ought to really bug the Liberal leadership. Here’s a guy who won’t just shut up and let them ignore the health care issue. Better drag out Ujjal again."
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And that sneering Iggygrit, Liberal Michael Ignatieff, can't bring himself to actually discuss these sensible proposals??!!
Ignorant Iggy is NOT interested in Keith Martin's solutions (you got that yet, Michael Den Tandt?!) Iggy and Dosanjh are mainly interested in propagating Canada's current duplicitous single-payer health care construct.
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The Victoria Times Colonist wrote in "Keith Martin's Fine Record" (Nov.10, 2010):
"After 17 years as the MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca, Keith Martin has called it a day. His retirement is a loss to the country.
Martin is not a typical politician. He has been driven by a keen desire to make life better for Canadians, and for people in developing countries. He has never been willing to compromise his principles, and being branded as someone who thinks for himself surely limited his political career.
Martin was elected in 1993, defeating former premier Dave Barrett, the incumbent in the federal riding. He was a member of the Reform party at the time and stayed with the party as it evolved into the Canadian Alliance.
He sought the leadership of the Alliance, but finished fourth. When the Alliance merged with the Progressive Conservatives, Martin opted out, sitting as an independent before joining the Liberals. Only briefly -- from June 2004 to January 2006 -- was Martin part of the government in power.
His influence, however, went far beyond his constituency and the hallways of Parliament. He tried to build awareness on issues close to his heart, including health, human rights, public transit, Canada's military role in Afghanistan and our responsibility to help poor countries.
Martin continued to work as an emergency room doctor when Parliament was not in session and he likely knows as much about Canada's health-care system as any politician.
He has devoted his life to positive changes. At times, his frustration bubbled over; in 2002, he was found in contempt of the House after he grabbed a ceremonial mace to express outrage with the parliamentary process.
Martin says he will continue working "to implement innovative solutions to address the domestic and international challenges we face." It's a shame he has to step away from Parliament to make progress in his goals."
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Keith Martin is leaving the Liberals to retire, with his head held high; with his principles intact.
Re-read those first two paragraphs of the above Times Colonist editorial: how true those words are.
I certainly hope Martin continues to engage us with his thoughtful and practical proposals; I hope can even make more of a difference while outside of the realm of partisan politics.
And how sad for our body politic that Canadian MP's such as Martin cannot be heard by their own party - "Big Red Tent", eh, Iggy?! What a crock. More like Ignatieff's Big Red Lie.
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"Dr. Keith Martin, the Liberal MP, is continuing his campaign to encourage a realistic debate over health care reform (as opposed to just talking about it, which is the preferred option in Ottawa and 10 out of 10 provinces).
His suggestion last month that Canadians should have the right to pay for health care outside the system if they wished had his own party doing backflips to separate themselves from his dangerous ideas. “That is absolutely not a solution to any of the problems that we’re facing today,” said Ujjal Dosanjh, a charter member of the Status Quo club. Liberal policy is to acknowledge that something really needs to be done, while refusing to address any serious alternatives.
But Martin isn’t backing down. Today he expanded his view with a list of criteria for repairing the system:
Health Care Reform Do’s and Don’ts
by Keith Martin, M.P., M.D.
Don’t:
• Allow people to pay to jump ahead of the queue in the public system
• Allow people to divert taxes to private services. Everyone will pay taxes and ALL will have access to the public system. This is akin to our education system that has private and public schools. People who pay tuition for their children to attend private schools still pay taxes that pay for public schools.
Do:
• Look at 17 of the 20 top health care systems that are all in Europe. All provide for better access to quality care when people fall ill at a lower cost (Canada ranks 22nd in the world, the US is 26th).
• Allow people to pay for health care services in completely separate private clinics. ONLY private monies would pay for these clinics and services.
• Enforce common standards for public and private health services.
• Develop a medical manpower strategy.
• Allow physicians to provide essential services in the private sector if they spend a minimum of 50% of their time working for the public system.
• Allow hospitals to be paid on the basis of patient services rendered as opposed to receiving block funding alone.
• Implement a National Head Start Program for Children. This is a powerful preventative program.
• Implement E-technologies to improve the flow of medical information e.g. E-Health records.
That ought to really bug the Liberal leadership. Here’s a guy who won’t just shut up and let them ignore the health care issue. Better drag out Ujjal again."
*
And that sneering Iggygrit, Liberal Michael Ignatieff, can't bring himself to actually discuss these sensible proposals??!!
Ignorant Iggy is NOT interested in Keith Martin's solutions (you got that yet, Michael Den Tandt?!) Iggy and Dosanjh are mainly interested in propagating Canada's current duplicitous single-payer health care construct.
*
The Victoria Times Colonist wrote in "Keith Martin's Fine Record" (Nov.10, 2010):
"After 17 years as the MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca, Keith Martin has called it a day. His retirement is a loss to the country.
Martin is not a typical politician. He has been driven by a keen desire to make life better for Canadians, and for people in developing countries. He has never been willing to compromise his principles, and being branded as someone who thinks for himself surely limited his political career.
Martin was elected in 1993, defeating former premier Dave Barrett, the incumbent in the federal riding. He was a member of the Reform party at the time and stayed with the party as it evolved into the Canadian Alliance.
He sought the leadership of the Alliance, but finished fourth. When the Alliance merged with the Progressive Conservatives, Martin opted out, sitting as an independent before joining the Liberals. Only briefly -- from June 2004 to January 2006 -- was Martin part of the government in power.
His influence, however, went far beyond his constituency and the hallways of Parliament. He tried to build awareness on issues close to his heart, including health, human rights, public transit, Canada's military role in Afghanistan and our responsibility to help poor countries.
Martin continued to work as an emergency room doctor when Parliament was not in session and he likely knows as much about Canada's health-care system as any politician.
He has devoted his life to positive changes. At times, his frustration bubbled over; in 2002, he was found in contempt of the House after he grabbed a ceremonial mace to express outrage with the parliamentary process.
Martin says he will continue working "to implement innovative solutions to address the domestic and international challenges we face." It's a shame he has to step away from Parliament to make progress in his goals."
*
Keith Martin is leaving the Liberals to retire, with his head held high; with his principles intact.
Re-read those first two paragraphs of the above Times Colonist editorial: how true those words are.
I certainly hope Martin continues to engage us with his thoughtful and practical proposals; I hope can even make more of a difference while outside of the realm of partisan politics.
And how sad for our body politic that Canadian MP's such as Martin cannot be heard by their own party - "Big Red Tent", eh, Iggy?! What a crock. More like Ignatieff's Big Red Lie.
*
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