As we are about to enter a new year, I wonder which of the many issues we have dealt with in 2022 will be carried forward into 2023. There are a number, as I see it, but what would be the biggest one?
First and foremost, believe it or not, is health care. Not climate change, not the economy, and not gun control. All of these are seen to be important, but not as important as health care, according to a national poll conducted earlier this month. People in this country are worried sick about health care. This may be in part because of the beating our healthcare system took throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as well as concerns, more recently, of hospital overload with young children fighting a rising occurrence of respiratory illnesses.
The healthcare system in Canada has been in decline for a number of years. Recent events have not particularly caused it but they have, somewhat dramatically, brought the issue out into the open, demonstrating pretty clearly that what we have now is not adequate as we face the future.
Fixing the problem should not be a partisan issue, but sadly it has become one. Finger-pointing at who is believed to be responsible for the weaknesses in our healthcare system depends on which political party one supports.
The truth of the matter, however, is that health care in Canada is a joint responsibility of the federal and provincial governments. And to some degree, therein lies the problem. There is a constant tug-of-war between the two jurisdictions about who should do what and who is lagging behind.
Funding for health care by the federal government has decreased dramatically over the last decade. That is a statistical fact. On the other hand, the provinces in Canada seem to be more focussed on this, insisting on more money from the Feds, than they are on dealing with the health care issues that they are able to address in their own jurisdictions. In some ways, it has become a standoff.
Meanwhile, across Canada, hospital infrastructure is suffering, medical equipment in many cases is outdated, waiting times for medical tests and procedures are unacceptable, there is an acute shortage of health care professionals, and people who need treatment are not getting it.
This is not just an institutional problem. Many individual Canadians are affected by declining health care standards as it takes longer to get appointments with their own doctors as well as required testing and medical procedures. It should not be surprising then, that the delivery of adequate healthcare services has become the top priority for people in this country.
In my view, the time has come for a major reassessment of our healthcare system in Canada. What has worked before is not necessarily working now. I would like to see a summit meeting, almost at a constitutional level, on this issue alone, between first ministers at both the federal and provincial levels. There should be no going home until a consensus is reached on a national plan for quality health care in Canada, with clear jurisdictional responsibilities and funding formulas.
A national plan should include not only the delivery of acute care services but should also address a wider spectrum of health care issues such as quality of life, mental illness, and community public health issues.
Universal health care in Canada is an important facet of who we are. Every individual has a right to adequate health care and that must remain a key factor of any national health plan. However, perhaps the time has arrived when an element of private medical care can be recognized as an asset to our overall system of care. If it can take care of people who choose to access it and who can afford to pay for medical services, and if it has its own privately funded resources for equipment and infrastructure, perhaps it would be a vehicle to relieve some pressure on our universal system of health care. It is worth thinking about.
Another issue that is related to health care, and which requires national attention and consensus, is the extent to which MAID (medical assistance in dying) is able to affect end-of-life. At the moment this legislation is quite strict in its parameters, allowing what is effectively medically assisted suicide only by consenting adults in their right minds.
It was disturbing to hear very recently of government employees suggesting medically assisted suicide to a number of military veterans. It is even more disturbing to read of some discussions, however speculative and informal, of extending MAID to babies born with difficulties and people with serious mental illnesses.
That to me is murder and puts the onus of decision-making on someone other than the individual involved, which can lead to serious misuse and issues about who gets to decide. It also speaks of culling society for either economic or cultural reasons, which I am sure most Canadians would find abhorrent.
In summary, I believe we do have a healthcare crisis in Canada, from the cradle to the grave. And I do believe in using the word ‘crisis’ sparingly. If it makes one feel better to point the finger at Doug Ford or Justin Trudeau, or whoever, go for it. But the reality is nothing will get resolved without a national consensus at both levels of government.
Canadians have recognized quality health care as a top priority that is currently lacking. It is high time for our politicians to get together, put down their gloves, and do something about it.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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So how did this happen?
It is of note that in 1974, Canada spent $527 per capita on healthcare costs. This represented 7% of all economic activity in Canada (GDP). Also of note the median age of Canada in 1974 was 26.4 years old.
It is estimated that in 2022, Canada will spend $8,563 per capita on healthcare costs. This will represent 12.4% of GDP. But most importantly the median age of Canadians is now 41 years old.
Also Canadians age 55 and older generate more than 50% of healthcare costs
So what we know is that in the last 48 years, Canada is spending 3.5 times more for healthcare when adjusted for inflation, and an extra 5.2% of all economic activity in the country (GDP).
However, the issue is that baby boomers (myself included) have increased the age of the population by over 50%. Baby boomers do not contribute proportionately to the economy but draw heavily from the government, including healthcare.
While not a short term solution, but Canada like most western nations and China need massive numbers young immigrants (probably more than 500,000 a year) to reset the balance of healthcare costs vis a vis GDP/economic activity. Short term the only solution is for Canadians to pay more in taxes
Ottawa will fund the war in Ukraine but not Healthcare in Canada.
Right on David Caswell!
And further, I see health care as just a blemish. The problem seems to be that there is no longer any desire to be a cohesive whole. Nor do I see a political leader with the ability or cachet, or maybe even the desire to make us whole again.
The Canada that I knew is being pushed apart from within. All the things that we used to include as part of us; race, color, creed, religion, are now borne like torches to highlight those differences.
Because of race, certain segments of the population accent it to claim distinction.
There are those who use religion, language and colour, to do the same.
Still others, claim political affiliation is important. 78 years in folks and damned if I will believe that!!
Everyone wants to claim ‘their rights’, when I think it is a privilege to be able to openly make such a claim. But, somehow, that privilege needs to be earned.
The only real right we are born with is our right to life, and if you don’t pay attention, there are those only too willing to make that difficult for you.
Cross this country today, and there are so many claims of ‘nation’, of one sort or another; those factions only interested in the federal system, when the check involves funds from the ‘Bank of Canada’. And is payable to them.
‘Pay me!’ It’s owed me. I have the right.
Bah! Humbug!
And right before Christmas.
Many of our most talented people come from very humble beginnings. The job of the federal government is to foster equality of opportunity including health care. That means reasonably comparable levels of health care for all, at reasonably comparable levels of taxation across the country. The federal health minister says the provincial health ministers are ready to agree on improvements, but the 10 premiers think they can do better if they all gang up in a meeting with one Prime Minister and just say give me more money with no strings attached. Who does that? Then they can all buy votes with freebees like free license plate renewals. Who is gullible enough to buy that? Do we really want the US system that is rated overall way below our system, where the rich can buy health and life but more than a million middle and low income Americans are forced every year to choose between health and bankruptcy. Don’t be fooled by the promise of American style health care. We are much better off the fix the system we and almost all other G-20 countries already have and most Americans wish they had. But that takes intelligent fact-based discussion and compromise. Let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater over temporary problems like ignored demographics, pandemics, and Putin. And as Mr. Earl says, we can all do more on prevention so we have to do less on cure.
Good article Hugh. Indeed we are in a serious crisis, and the pandemic only laid bare the broken systems at many levels. Aging demographics, health sector retirements and burnout, and high immigration rates ahead will only put further stress on the entire system. No more time to waste.
It’s a national crisis, impacting all parts of our country. The declining funding share from the Federal government has made things much worse. We have dated IT, aging medical equipment, high bureaucratic overhead, systemic inefficiencies, disjointed systems and poorly synchronized policies across all levels of government.
A rethink of the entire health system, including more focus on wellness, is needed. A good first step would be to see seriousness and real leadership from the federal government, rather than the usual empty talk, political manuovering and inaction we have been subjected to for too long.
It never ceases to amaze me how quick some individuals are so quick to jump on the band wagon on almost every facet of our health care whether its locally, provincially or federaly. The authors quote “The truth of the matter, however, is that health care in Canada is a joint responsibility of federal and provincial governments.” Its almost a case of many of us not being able to see the forests for the trees. In many cases the health care system are having to provide care to any and every citizen in this country, which we are all thankful and proud to have available. The point I would like to point out is many, many people do not look after their own health as well as they could be doing. Grant it their are individuals out there had no choice in either through inheritance, accidental or any other condition that was no cause of their own.
Poor diet habits, lack of exercise, eating foods that don’t contribute to healthy life styles, knowingly exposing ourselves to obvious conditions that are detrimental to are health. There’s old saying ” charity starts at home or charity starts in our own back yard” . So I am of the opinion much , much can be done if we take more and better responsibility to each of our own better health where possible.
As I shop in Huntsville stores the majority are not wearing masks, a recent visit to a provincial government agency none of the 6 empoyees were wearing masks, I asked why not? the answer was “oh its not mandated any more, we don’t need to”. Recently a GTA health official stated , if you wear a mask the door (mouth&nose) is closed , no mask the door is left open. A recent study shows a very disturbing number of our youth are in an obese state, which most likely usually leads to diabetes, and there are many more instances that are loading our health system that may need not happen if we would just have a look in mirror and ask ourselves, “How can we do better to better our health?” Make a promise or maybe a New Years Resolution to yourself . Taking our health seriously in my opinion will go a long way to ease the health care system. In my opinion Being quick to find fault in Federal and Provincial politicians to fix the problem carrys much in being handicap and using taxpayers as guinea pigs.
Maybe a start would be to follow as in New Zealands it has just past legislation where by the next generation Born 2009 and later will be banned from buying smokes. According to the government 50 % of their citizens that take up smoking die of cancer related issues due to smoking. That in itself is a considerable burden on government funded health care. So to the Author and and many of us,if You wish to live long and healthy lives start at home,try to help , not focus on blaming the federal and provincial governments 100%.
The solution is getting government out of the delivery of medical services. Let doctors decide how they want to provide the service and fund it. Let the tax man and the college of surgeons look after there incomes and ethics. Build hospitals where they are needed, not where it is politically expedient. Then let the facilities be operated efficiently.
Governments are not efficient or innovative. They are good at transferring money. So they should do what they are good at and let experts do what they are good at.
As an aside pre Medicare I believe every doctors office inHuntsville was a walk in clinic.
It has taken several stripes of government at both the provincial and federal level over several decades to get us into the sickness-driven mess we now have.
coming up with a national consensus to correct the problems would require premiers who were willing to co-operate for the benefit of the country and the people who live here; this seems like an impossible dream since most who reach such lofty political positions are not known for their humility.
I think that there is a place for privatization in the health system, but not in it’s current form (i.e. tax payer dollars footing the bills so that private entities can make a profit and investors can increase their earnings).
I think that private and public should be financially separate so that public funds go into publicly provided and non-profit entities whilst private funds into privately provided and insurance supported entities.
This does not mean that those who would normally access the public system could not use the private system, but rather that the tax-payer would not be enabling the profits of private companies and increasing the incomes of those who are already well-positioned financially.
To start to tackle this problem, I think Trudeau should go and give several million dollars to Amanda Alvaro’s PR firm, after all…. why not? And then he should form a committee to study things and hire both Keilburger brothers to head it up. And lastly, he should start wearing a captains hat, aviators, and a jacket with epaulettes. Trudeau has had us tacking towards Banana Republic status since 2015, he might as well just go full Idi Amin. It would also give him a chance to wear his favourite makeup
Thanks, Hugh! It’s long past the time when the appropriate levels of government stopped finger pointing, and got on with this extremely serious problem. It’s endemic, and unfortunately rooted in a lot of cya bureaucracy, resulting in excellent health care professionals spending inordinate amounts of time in administrivia…filling out forms instead of seeing patients. That’s at a local level. Never mind the layers of overpaid bureaucrats (does LHIN ring a bell) that contribute nothing to timely health care delivery.
A major rethink is so obvious…but nobody wants to touch it!
Locally, we are so lucky, so far…but it can’t go on like this.