Sunday, 20 October 2019

Healthcare and the Conservative Party of Canada

You may hear people saying the CPC will cut healthcare. You may hear CPC supporters say that's fear-mongering. But, is it, really? Let's take a look.
#cdnpoli #elxn43 #Vote #NeverScheer #healthcare #ChooseForward 
The National Citizen's Coalition was incorporated in 1975 by an insurance agent named Colin M. Brown. Mr. Brown had begun advertising back in 1967 against the Canada Health Act.
Our universal health care was the NCC's primary target, but over the 4 decades it has been in existence, it has also campaigned against;

- The Canadian Wheat Board

- the Canadian Labour Congress' strike protesting wage and price controls in 1975
- the admission of Vietnamese Boat People to Canada 1979-1980

- closed-shop unions

- "gold-plated" pensions for MPs

- the mandatory long-form census

- Quebec's Bill 101 protecting French language rights
In 1993, the NCC supported Harper's successful run to be elected a Reform Party MP. In 1997, Harper left politics to become Vice-President of the NCC. 
In 1998, Harper became President of the NCC, a post he held until 2002, when he resigned to take a run at the leadership of the Canadian Alliance Party (which grew out of the Reform party). 
The NCC continues to exist, by the way, and seems to potentially still wield some influence. They claim to have between 40,000 and 45,000 members and an operating budget of $2.8 Million. 
They are very secretive about membership, and many members have no voting rights or right to attend meetings. So, a lot of people pay dues to the NCC but have no input and may not even be informed of the organization's activities. 
Let's look at that list of things the NCC opposes. During his tenure, Harper gave the Canadian Wheat Board away to the Saudis, and he cancelled the long-form census. His government engaged in union-busting activities, legislating back to work on striking unions. 
And they did nothing when conservative provincial governments whittled away at public health care.
As recently as 2012 people were still asking about the relationship between the NCC and the CPC. NCC President Peter Coleman denied there was a link, and yet... 
cbc.ca/newsblogs/poli… 
Harper's policy ideas align with the NCC's, and he acted on them. It cannot be denied that the CPC is Harper's creation. And Scheer, Kenney, Poilievre, etc are all Harper's creatures. He molded them into what they are now. 
Indeed, it seems Harper is still very much involved behind the scenes. According to Montreal's l'Actualite: 
From the CPC's Policy Declaration document: 
What this says is a Scheer-led CPC government would allow the provinces to open the doors to private medicine (wider than they already have). This is two-tired medicine they are talking about. 
And the provinces with conservative governments are only too eager to do this. For example, Doug Ford. 
For example, Brian Pallister... 
For example, Jason Kenney... 
The conservative premiers are already hard at work dismantling public health care to make room for private, for-profit health care. 
Andrew Scheer and the CPC hosted an event titled "The Business of Health Care" which charged $250 a person for lobbyists to have access to Scheer and a selection of top CPC MPs. 
Privatising health care is in the DNA of the CPC, in much the same way as social programs are in the DNA of the NDP. And if they re-open the Constitution and Charter, as they have suggested they will, they will remove those pesky assurances of health care for all. 
And why would the CPC want for-profit health care? Well, here's how it works in the US: 

Always follow the money. Private health insurance companies, private health corporations, and pharmaceutical companies all have deep pockets and are prepared to show their appreciation for political allies. 
A party who would let these entities into Canada is not working for the public good. They are working for their own good. 
Vote tomorrow! Vote for health care. Vote for #GunControl. Vote for inclusivity. #ChooseForward VOTE!
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Fear-Mongering? Or Warning?

I have heard many people accusing others of "fear-mongering", often conservative-leaning folks accusing progressives when we try to warn you what Scheer will do. What he has actually said he would do... You want fear-mongering? Scheer is giving us all an example. 
Scheer is making stuff up out of thin air! Fear-mongering (or scare-mongering) is when you say something that is not true to gain some sort of advantage, such as influencing people's opinion about a person or party. 
Warning is saying something that is true and it is done out of concern. "Be careful! It's slippery out!" is a warning. Because you know it's slippery. It isn't meant to intimidate or influence, except to encourage the other person to take appropriate action to avoid a fall. 
When people point to parts of the CPC platform, constitution, and Scheer's own leadership platform and history, and encourage others to consider the ramifications of some of the items, it is warning, not fear-mongering. 
On the other hand, when Scheer fabricates things, with no evidence to point to and says, "Don't vote Liberal because they will do this and this and this!" That is fear-mongering.

Unfounded claims are fear-mongering.
Andrew Scheer and the CPC endorse loosening firearms laws. They do it in their constitution and Andrew Scheer did it in his leadership platform. This is a plan. It is real and telling people who don't know about it yet all about it is warning. 
When people express concern about Andrew Scheer's CPC making abortion less accessible, it's not coming out of nowhere. Scheer is anti-abortion. He admits that. 
He says he will not re-open the debate, yet there are a number of large and powerful anti-abortion lobby groups who feel confident that a CPC government will pass legislation making safe, legal abortions a thing of the past. 
The anti-abortion movement helped Andrew Scheer become CPC leader. They seem to feel he owes them. They boast on their web sites about all the anti-abortion candidates the CPC has in this election. 
These anti-abortion groups have a long game plan. Right now they are preparing for the war on women's reproductive rights by trying to get their people into MP's offices. 
Things have been carefully worded around "free votes" to ensure that, while the party does not bring forward anti-abortion legislation, back-benchers can, and the caucus will not be directed to vote against them, as happened in Harper's tenure. 
The CPC have been quite up-front about their plan to bring in boutique tax credits for kids' sports and arts classes, and so on. It is not fear-mongering to explain that such tax credits only benefit those with the money to put their kids in sports and arts programs. 
It's not fear-mongering to point out that tax credits for home renovations are only useful to people who own homes. Tax credits help people who already have money for these things. They do nothing for the many for whom home-ownership is well out of reach. 
So, it's not fear-mongering to express concern over what seems a very likely possibility. It's cautioning. It's making sure people understand what they are buying into. We need to be able to have conversations in this country about the issues we face. 
I know it's hard to hear unpleasant things about a party you support. It's a normal defensive posture to say that it's fear-mongering, or fake news. Many of the things a lot of Canadians are concerned about are contained in Scheer's own writings. 
archive.is/coU2z 
If you are considering voting CPC on Monday, please think very carefully. Please examine all the information available. Look at the issues from all sides. We are not fear-mongering. We are deeply worried and want all Canadians to make choices they won't regret. #elxn43 
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