Together we can Save Public Medicare

Page Contents

Overview
March 5, 2002 OHC Press Release
Local Contact Info
Essential Information
Take Action

Those who oppose public Medicare and those who seek to profit from its demise are engaged in a highly coordinated public relations campaign to convince the skeptical Canadian public to adopt privatization of health care. You've seen it in the news. Their campaign is in full swing.

On one side are the people of Canada, proud of public Medicare and inclined to support it. We are the people who will pay the most if we lose Medicare.

On the other side are the same groups that fought Medicare's creation in the first place: private insurance companies, the for-profit health care industry and their spokespeople in governments. They'll benefit most if we lose Medicare.

National media attention has been focussed on cleverly-timed pro-privatization reports from Michael Kirby - an influential senator and board member of for-profit nursing home giant Extendicare - and from Don Mazankowski - former Brian Mulroney cabinet minister and board member of insurance company Great West Life.

Provincial Premiers who favour privatization have been peppering the media with manipulative stories about out-of control health spending (sadly ironic after years of massive cuts) and unreasonable patient demand. Neither statement can be substantiated.

The federal government, after shooting itself in the foot with huge cuts to the provinces for health and social services, has refused to ante up and hold the provinces to the spirit and intent of the Canada Health Act on which Medicare is based.

Instead, they've formed a Commission on the Future of Public Health Care in Canada. Known as the Romanow Commission, after its chair former Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow, its mandate is to make recommendations about the future of Medicare. Romanow will make his final report in November 2002 after conducting pan-Canadian public consultations this spring. That's why all the high profile reports and media campaigns.

Now is the time for all people who care about Medicare
to speak up to save it.

We're working all-out to save public Medicare

Across the province, we're holding organizing meetings for a massive door-to-door campaign. We will train groups of volunteers across Ontario to go out and cover neighbourhoods - talking to neighbours about what is happening.

Community groups are coming together throughout February and March to open campaign offices donated by churches, community groups and workers' rights organizations.

Seniors are covering the phones. Health care workers, nurses, physicians and professionals are planning outreach activities to highlight the issues and the campaign.

In April, communities will hold a series of lead-up events such as rallies, press conferences with endorsements from faith leaders and community organizations, municipal council proclamations, phone banks, and mall displays.

From late April to mid-May we will go door-to-door in communities across the province to talk to people about what is happening to our Medicare system.

We will ask Ontarians to put up ribbons on trees and balconies or front yard lawn sings to create a massive visual display of support for public Medicare.

On May 15, the door-to-door campaign will culminate in a National Medicare Day!

For more information, please contact Natalie at the Ontario Health Coalition at
Tel: 416-441-2502
Email: ohc@sympatico.ca
URL: www.web.net/ohc

March 5, 2002 OHC Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Attention: Assignment Editors

Coalition Launches Massive Campaign to Save Public Medicare

Toronto - At a press conference today, the Ontario Health Coalition unveiled a massive grassroots campaign to save Canada's public Medicare system from privatization. The coalition announced that organizing meetings are being held in communities across the province to plan for a province-wide door-to-door campaign. To date, twenty-seven cities have joined the campaign and others are expected to follow shortly.

The campaign will take place as Roy Romanow, chair of the Commission on the Future of Public Health Care in Canada is travelling across the country to conduct public hearings. Mr. Romanow has said "everything is on the table" and has laid out several options, some that respect the values of the Canada Health Act - public funding & administration, universality, comprehensiveness, portability and accessibility - and others that would erode those principles through increased out-of-pocket charges and for-profit health care. Organizers hope to send a clear message to Mr. Romanow and provincial and federal politicians that the principles of the Canada Health Act should anchor and guide a revitalized public Medicare system in Canada.

During the door-to-door canvass, community members will be asked to hang up a red ribbon to show our support for a National Public Medicare system. Organizers expect to get ribbons out on trees and front doors across the province. "A great deal of fear-mongering has been done by representatives of the for-profit health industry in an attempt to undermine the overwhelming public support for Medicare", stated Derek Chadwick, coalition representative. "These dire warnings and PR campaigns are coming from the same people who fought public Medicare in the first place because they stand to profit from its privatization. Canadians didn't fall for it the first time around. We are confident that we can do it again."

Added coalition co chair Irene Harris, "Medicare is the greatest social transfer Canadians ever built together. The future sustainability of Medicare requires public control and an assurance that public funding goes to patients not profits. We are asking Ontarians to look to the future and to join us in the appeal to revitalize and modernize Medicare based on the wisdom of the core values and principles that have served us so well."

Volunteers will start going door-to-door on April 24. The canvass will culminate in a National Medicare Day to be held in communities across the country on May 15.

List of local campaigns follows below.

Local Contact Information

This list is up to date as of March 13, 2002. Don't see your community on this list?

Call the Ontario Health Coalition at 416-441-2502 or email ohc@sympatico.ca

Bowmanville - call Cathy at 905-985-9963

Brampton - call Eugene at 905-792-2894

Brockville - call Bobbi at 613-342-5086 or email jordandb@recorder.ca

Burlington - call Ed at 905-681-0242

Chatham-call Aaron at 519-351-9148 or email mdemeest@sympatico.ca

Cobourg- call Bill at 905-377-8375 or email wnichol@cupe.ca

Guelph- call George at 519-824-1885 or email Cherry at cherry_clayton@hotmail.com

Hamilton- call Fran at 905-516-5690

Kingston- call Ross at 613-374-5258 or email Charlie at cstock@sympatico.ca

Kitchener-Waterloo- call Orville at 519-893-3974

Lindsay- call James at 705-324-7841 or email poetman@nexicom.net

London- call Peter at 519-433-4403 or email Darlene at waabino@yahoo.com

North Bay- call Barbara at 705-494-9078 or email anello@thot.net

Oshawa- call Jim at 905- 434-5922 or email jfreeman5922@rogers.com

Ottawa- call Abe at 613-244-2817 or email Leslie at lmcwhinnie@yahoo.ca

Owen Sound- call Len at 519-389-4490 or email lhope@caw.ca

Peterborough- call Bev at 705-292-9277

Port Colbourne- call Rose at 905-834-1145

Renfrew- call 613-432-7208

Sault Ste. Marie- call Elsa at 705-949-6235 or email elsam@onlink.net

St. Catharines- call Kim at 905-227-2881 or email estasiak@sympatico.ca

Sudbury- call Brian at 705-674-3455 or email sdlc@on.aibn.com

Thunder Bay- call Evelina at 807-344-5027 or email epan@tbaytel.net

Timmins- call Ben at 705-232-8121 x 7599 or email caw599@kiddmet.falconbridge.com

Toronto- call the office at 416-929-1545 or email pacfutt@globalserve.net

Welland- call Robert at 905-735-4223

Windsor- call Mike at 519-256-8082 or email dlongmoore@cogeco.ca

Woodstock- call Violette at 519-539-6626 or email vmthib@sympatico.ca 

Essential Information

"Dip and Skip" A Supplement to the June 2001 Report on Homecare Reform in Ontario:
A special report from the Ontario Health Coalition updating the worsening crisis in homecare throughout the province. A special report from the OHC updating the worsening crisis in homecare throughout the province. Download the document as a Rich Text Format (RTF) file

ROMANOW COMMISSION: The Romanow Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada has invited submissions from organizations. We strongly encourage organizations and individuals to send in a submission or a letter. We also encourage parties to review the Ontario Health Coalition's submission to the Romanow Commission.
View guidelines and notes for submissions to the Romanow Commission
Download guidelines for submissions (RTF format)
View the OHC's submission to the Romanow Commission online
Download OHC's submission to the Romanow Commission (RTF format)

SECRETS IN THE HOUSE: Homecare Reform in Ontario, 1997-2000
OHC's report on homecare reform issued June 2001

Report from Long Term Care Forums: During February and March 2001, the Ontario Health Coalition held hearings across Ontario on the government's proposed changes to Long Term and Home Care in Ontario. This is a detailed report of those hearings. Download as an MS WORD file.

Why NOT Privatize? OHC's fact sheet on privatization
View as an HTML file
Download as an MS WORD file

Health Care Spending: THE FACTS
View as an HTML file
Download as an MS WORD file.

OHC's Primary Care Position Paper
View as an HTML file

OHC's Guide to the New Long Term Care Act
View as an HTML file

OHC's Guide to Party Platforms for the 2000 Federal Election
View as an HTML file

TAKE ACTION

Petition to Commission on the Future of HealthCare in Canada http://dawn.thot.net/medicare_campaign4.html

Download or print the Petition as a Word doc
http://dawn.thot.net/docs/save_medicare_petition.doc

Download or print the Petition in Rich Text Format
http://dawn.thot.net/docs/save_medicare_petition.rtf

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