Insurance

Wednesday September 27, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday September 27, 2017

U.S. VP Pence blasts ‘failings’ of Canadian health system

The vice-president of the United States has some less-than-complimentary words for Canada’s health-care system, which he accuses of certain “failings.”

Mike Pence made the remarks in an interview last week with Alaska radio station KFQD.

He was being asked about the Republican health legislation struggling to get through Congress.

Republicans appear to be wrestling to get a bill that would repeal Obamacare through the legislature before a procedural deadline later this month — and the effort is in deep trouble.

Pence warned that if the legislative effort collapses, the U.S. will be on a course for something similar to Canada.

That’s because the Democratic party is starting to rally to an unprecedented degree around the idea of single-payer health care as a long-term solution to the U.S.’s endless health debates.

“We have a clear choice here,” Pence said.

“You know, somewhere in between where I’m sitting in Washington, D.C., and (you) Alaska, is a place called Canada. I probably don’t need to tell the people Alaska about the failings of national socialized health care because it’s right in our neighbour and you see the results every day.

“Look, we’ve got a choice: It’s between big government, Washington, D.C., solutions that ultimately, I believe, will collapse into single-payer health care — or whether or not we’re going to repeal the (Obamacare) individual mandate.”

Canada’s health system is known to suffer from long wait times, especially for elective procedures. On the other hand, Canadians not only have longer life expectancies, but also spend far less on health care than Americans according to World Bank data.

The Trump administration has just received a fresh round of bad news about its health-reform effort: After John McCain, Susan Collins became the latest senator Monday to say she opposes the Obamacare repeal bill, almost certainly dooming it. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) 

 

Saturday September 16, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday September 16, 2017

U.S. not obliged to defend Canada in event of North Korean missile attack, MPs told

The highest-ranking Canadian officer at Norad has demolished a long-held political assumption by telling a parliamentary committee that the U.S. is under no obligation to defend Canada in the event of a ballistic missile attack.

Lt.-Gen. Pierre St-Amand laid out on Thursday — in stark terms — where the military lines of each nation begin and end in the event the North Korean crisis erupts into a shooting war.

“The extent of the U.S. policy is not to defend Canada,” said St-Amand, who is the deputy commander of the North American Aerospace Defence Command, which is responsible for defending the skies and maritime approaches to North America. “That’s the fact I can bring to the table.”

The debate over whether Canada should join the U.S. ballistic missile defence program re-emerged this summer following a series of  successful intercontinental missile tests by North Korea, including another missile launch from that country’s capital Pyongyang on Friday.

The missile flew over Japan before landing in the northern Pacific Ocean. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it travelled about 3,700 kilometres, reaching a maximum height of 770 kilometres.

February 25, 2005

The Liberal government in its recent defence policy review chose to uphold a 2005 decision by former prime minister Paul Martin to remain outside of the U.S. missile shield.

The often-cited political narrative has been that the U.S. would shoot down a missile if it was headed toward Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal.

St-Amand made clear that is not guaranteed and it would be a decision made “in the heat of the moment” by U.S. political and military leaders. (Source: CBC News) 

 

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Thursday May 2, 2013

Graeme MacKay - Thursday May 2, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 2, 2013

Budget Day in Ontario

Premier Kathleen Wynne’s minority Liberals will campaign on an NDP-inspired budget if New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath opts to defeat the government and spark a June election.

The spending plan to be introduced by Finance Minister Charles Sousa in the legislature at 4 p.m. Thursday addresses all seven of Horwath’s stated demands for support.

These include a 15-per-cent cut to auto insurance rates, $295 million to create jobs for youth, $260 million to improve home-care health services, and a pledge to force Ottawa to curb some of the benefits big corporations get from the harmonized sales tax.

However, a snap election could still be triggered.

That’s because Horwath must weigh having her budget conditions met with the political damage suffered by the Liberals over their $585-million gas plant fiasco.

One largely symbolic line in Sousa’s budget could give Horwath the excuse she needs to pull the plug on the Grits.

The finance minister said he will be broaching the idea of optional toll lanes — with no dollar figure attached or any timetable proposed, because he doesn’t want to preclude Metrolinx’s forthcoming recommendations — as a way to get the conversation rolling on ways to fund public transit.

“We’re not going to increase taxes. We’re not raising road tolls. We’re giving people a choice to have HOT (high occupancy toll) lanes. It’s a consideration that’s been put forward,” said Sousa, suggesting some high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes for car-poolers could be switched into toll lanes to pay for transit infrastructure. (Source: Toronto Star)