Dear Editor

• "we will pass a "Commitment to Medicare Act" which will outlaw "buy your way to the front of the line health care" and make universal, public medicare the law in Ontario"
• "we will make accountability to the public a central principle of medicare"
• "we will hire more nurses and create a better working environment for these hardworking professionals
• "we will invest in homecare so that Ontarians can receive better care at home"
• "we will build a Seniors Strategy that guarantees our seniors will be treated with respect and dignity"

Health Minister George Smitherman introduced legislation in November 2003 called Bill 8 - "Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act, 2003". Bill 8 is supposed to protect the principles of the Canada Health Act (CHA), create a Health Quality Council to monitor and provide accountability, and prohibit two-tier healthcare in Ontario. Bill 8 fails miserably on all accounts.

While public hearings are being held across the province, the McGuinty government is pushing ahead with more deals for P3 hospitals — or public-private-partnerships, including hospitals in Brampton and Ottawa with more to come! Although this government opposed further privatization and Americanization of our health care system, they have taken us further down that very same road.

The Health Quality Council is to be appointed by the Liberal government and is not required to report on issues relating to two-tier medicine, extra billing or user fees. How can this Council assure the people of Ontario that our health care system is meeting the principles of comprehensiveness, universality or accessibility, guaranteed by the CHA?

There is so much in Bill 8 that is troublesome and problematic. Members of the Northeastern Ontario Health Coalition (NOHC) encourage individuals in communities across the North to pay close attention as this Bill unfolds. More information on Bill 8 may be found at www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca.