Friends of Medicare executive director Chris Gallaway joins Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins to discuss a push to get federal lawmakers involved in stopping privatization of healthcare services in Alberta. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Michael Higgins: You were part of a coalition this week on Parliament Hill meeting with dozens of MPs and senators. What was your message? Chris Gallaway: We were there along with the Canadian Health Coalition and hundreds of folks from all across the country, including 32 Albertans from 23 different constituencies. We were meeting with senators and MPs from all parties. The biggest message of that lobby was: the federal government needs to act on what’s happening here in Alberta, Bill 11 is an existential threat to public health care in Canada, and the federal government has very clear responsibilities for enforcing [the Canada Health Act] and they need to speak up and start to act on what’s happening. Because it won’t just impact Alberta, but the whole country. If this is allowed to happen, this two-tier American style health care, it also has the potential of undermining trade agreements while allowing American Insurance companies into Alberta and so on. So we were really hammering home the point in Ottawa that there’s federal responsibility here, and that after months of silence we’re expecting them to speak up and act. MH: The Smith government passed Bill 11 in the last sitting. It will allow doctors to work in both public and private health settings. Put perspective on why you feel that is worrisome. CG: It’s a very clear violation of the Canada Health Act. In terms of the federal government, it has a responsibility to enforce that act, to administer it, the funds associated with it, the billions of dollars we receive to ensure public access to health care across the country. We need them to step on that. In terms of the legislation, it’s very blatantly clear that it’s two-tier healthcare where those who have the financial resources will be able to pay to skip the queue get quicker care, and the rest of us will be left waiting longer or going without. Right now we don’t have the workforce for two systems. Allowing people to work in both systems at once will automatically make a profit motive that ensures those who put in the resources and the money will get care quicker. We think that’s unfair and a very blatant violation of the Canada Health Act and the value of Canadian Medicare and equal access. MH: Why do you feel the Alberta government would risk violating the Canada Health Act? CG: Their goal is to set up two systems to get rid of our single payer health care in Canada. It’s an ideological choice. They always think private is better, even as things like DynaLife and their lab privatization or the surgical initiative have actually made things worse while costing us more. They constantly come forward claiming by doing this we’re going to save money, we’re going to shorten wait times to increase capacity. But once they put these things in place, none of those claims have come true in the last few years. There’s Auditor General reports and other evidence that shows, including the government’s own evidence on surgeries, that this doesn’t work and it won’t work. They’re pushing it forward anyways, because it’s an ideological choice. MH: How do you see the insurance industry factoring into the conversation? CG: We see Bill 11 as a gift to the insurance industry. They’re bragging that they’re at the table with the government to help implement this legislation. Right now under trade agreements with the United States and others, we have protections for single payer public health care built into those agreements. If Alberta willingly allows American Insurance companies into our province to ensure services that are medically necessary and already covered under our public plan, what does that mean for Alberta and the rest of the country once those corporations are in our country operating and having legal standing? We need the federal government to look at trade agreements and the impacts of this legislation. Because we’re opening the floodgate to the Americanization of our healthcare system without much of a debate. MH: How close do you think Alberta is to crossing that threshold to American-style health care? CG: We’re very worried that we’re very close. We’re waiting for the regulations and the implementation plan, but once we open that door it may be impossible to close it and push back. We’re really in a crucial moment, and that’s why we were in Ottawa with folks from across the country. That’s why we’re touring the province, having town halls, because this is the moment we need to have that debate. Do Albertans and Canadians want two-tier private health care, or do they want to keep our single payer universal system? That’s the choice in front of us, and it’s coming quickly at us. We need to have that conversation and we need to see federal leadership, Albertans and Canadians speaking up if that’s not what they want. MH: Did you meet with any MPs from Alberta, and how did they receive your message? CG: We met with MPs from all three parties. We had people from 23 different constituencies. Most MPs met with their local constituents if they were in town and they were receptive. There was a lot of education needed. A lot of people were saying, why are you here? This isn’t really a federal issue. It’s more a provincial thing. So we were really trying to make it clear to them the federal role in health care, how there’s a key role for the federal government. We had really good conversations about that.
