I’m disgusted that the Canadian Medical Association is co-host of this “cross-country tour” with the Globe and Mail to promote healthcare privatization.

Kjipuktuk/Halifax, Nova Scotia – Public health advocates are picketing outside the Halifax stop of a cross-country tour hosted by the Canadian Medical Association and the Globe and Mail today. They will be there to oppose the event’s focus on finding a greater role for the private sector in easing the pressures on Canada’s health care system.

Members and supporters of the Council of Canadians, Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, and Nova Scotia Health Coalition are gathering outside the event at the Halifax Convention Centre beginning at 11am to distribute informational leaflets and engage the participants in conversation.

“We’re out here today because we think these consultations are misleading the public. Instead of asking how we can invest more resources into our strained public health care system, these consultations are reviving outdated and dangerous ideas that will only move us further along the path to U.S.-style, two-tier health care. We’ve heard this debate countless times before, and the evidence has been clear all along: privatized health care would do nothing to solve the current crisis,” says Robin Tress, Co-Executive Director of the Council of Canadians.

“It’s no secret that our public health care system is in dire straits. Long wait times and staffing shortages are taking a toll on both the health system and the public. But we can’t fix these problems by adding on for-profit care. Private, for-profit health care costs more and delivers less. Investing in the public health care system will always be the safest and most sustainable option,” adds Alexandra Rose, Provincial Coordinator of the Nova Scotia Health Coalition.