Tories unlikely to bring radical changes in the Canada health care-Harper

Canada, 8th April: Stephen Harper has ruled out any radical changes to the health care system of Canada by the Tories and has pledged not to introduce any cuts that might make the system cash-starved.

Health care for all-asserts Harper--Prime Minister Stephen Harper, while addressing an election campaign north of Toronto this Wednesday acknowledged that the health care system of Canada has its own set of problems.

He was reacting to a latest research co-authored by David Dodge, a former governor of Bank of Canada, that terms the rising costs of health care in Canada as a spending disaster.

According to the study, health-care spending will continue to increase by 6.4 percent from 2012 till 2031 even as the aging Canadians require greater access to health care.

Harper refuted health care spending as a disease claiming that the nation has a universal health insurance system.

However, if his party is elected in the elections slated to be held in May this year, then Canadians will be extended health care services irrespective of the fact whether they can pay for health care services or not. And that’s exactly what his party has been favoring for the last ten years or so, he added.

Full co-operation with provincial health ministers and premiers--When asked whether his party intends to negotiate any new health care proposal with Canadian provinces, he reiterated for whole-hearted co-operation while refuting any plans for cutting their transfers.

He acknowledged that the health care system of Canada does have its problems adding that Conservatives are ready to face and make the system better. The approach is to cooperate with them and not to dictate them.

The aim is to make the health care system work in the best possible manner, he asserted. He stated that Canadians are not in favor of any radical changes.

Rather, they are in favor of maintaining the principles and improving the efficiency of the health care in Canada, Harper was quoted in French.

Under the Conservative government, there has been an annual increase of 6 percent in the government health funding to the provinces. The deal is slated to expire in the year 2014. If re-elected to power, Harper is going to re-negotiate a new health accord with Canadian provinces leading to setting up of transfer rates for the coming years.