A First World Healthcare System?

Last week we had to visit the emergency department of the hospital in the middle of the night with our sick child who was complaining of severe ear pain and was throwing up. We waited close to 5 hours before a doctor saw us. There was only ONE doctor on duty in such a large hospital in a large city in the middle of the night (by that time it was 430 am).

We woke our son up, who can cried himself to sleep, and the doctor took 2 minutes to examine him, prescribe some antibiotics.

That was it, we waited 5 hours for 2 minutes. If there was one more doctor on duty, we could potentially have waited 2 and half hours. One more doctor, and we would have been seen in less than an hour.

Why do we not have enough doctors on duty? In fact, why do hospitals not have a 24 our walk in so we don't have to go to the emergency?

A close family friend's newborn child is sick; they took him to Sick Kids Hospital. The hospital, once the child was better, actually sent them home because there was a shortage of beds. Another wasn't even admitted because the hospital was full, overcrowded and understaffed.

This is a first world healthcare system?

Does this all point to a shortage of funds?

Now you read that there is actually something the Trudeau government did that is called Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy. This is an actual entity in the government and this year they are getting an ADDITIONAL 2 BILLION DOLLARS (that's $2b on top of their regular funding) - and what will they do with that? In words of the Minister:

• help the people of the world’s developing countries join the global middle class
• access safe and legal abortions
• empowering women, overseas
• makes families and countries more prosperous

Now, in this context I don't really care what happens to other countries. You want to promote and develop your women, fine. But what could that two billion dollars do to our healthcare? Could it have hired an extra doctor? Could it have provided a few beds? A few more staff?

COULD it have actually improved our healthcare for us - Canadians?

Isn't THAT what the government OF CANADA should be doing?

Why McGuinty Is Wrong

As a life long Liberal and someone who will work the boots off for a Dion victory, I cannot bring myself to vote for McGuinty. The debate and his attack on Tory's plans for funding faith-based schools have soured me to him.

I have said repeatedly that I do not agree with faith-based schools at all, yet the way McGuinty has attacked faith-based schools is completely wrong. He pointed to Toronto not having cultural divides, racial riots, civil unrest etc. because kids of many cultures go to school together. His argument - faith based schools divide people and promote segregation is completely hypocritical. McGuinty himself is the product of a faith-based school - the Catholic system.

So, in effect what McGuinty is saying to us is, faith based schools are wrong and promote racial discord - unless it happens to be a Catholic education - then it's all good. If that's not discrimination and if that's not elitist and if that doesn't feel racist then I don't know what else will.

As Tory said, it's a question of fairness. Either fund all faith based schools or fund none.

Where I would differ from him is that I would choose the "fund none" option.

Ontario Election General Preview

My view is that this is McGuinty's election to lose. Elections are usually a referendum on the current government and the general feel I get from everyone is that by most standards, the Liberals have delivered.

The biggest factor anyone I talk to mentions to me is education. There has been no labour dispute regarding teachers in the last four years - a constant fact of life under Mike Harris. Class sizes are on their way down, and it actually seems teachers are plentiful. However I do share a concern with this writer that some standards are getting lower.

The government has also provided money hiring more police officers (as promised) and even though we hear of shootings in and around Toronto, most people generally feel safe (and thus crime is not a big issue).

Immigration doesn't seem to catch anyone's attention (nor does terrorism - these are mostly federal issues) but immigrants as a whole are worried about recognition of foreign educational credentials, but these are again not blamed on McGuinty.

Where the Liberals have failed to pacify the voters is health care. This is of course my gut poll, very unscientific, but there are many people who are very angry at McGuinty on this issue alone. Not only did he put that much hated health tax (call it premium, whatever) but also took away eye care. We are getting less bang for more bucks, and every time we look at the pay stub we are reminded of this issue.

So the general preview is that even though the polls say it's 50-50, I feel it is the Liberals' election to lose. In the coming couple of months, three issues could rise into prominence where Tory will try and differentiate himself.

• Funding for the TTC and easing the provincial downloading to cities.
  
• The Cricket-Gate mismanagement of $32 million
  
• Funding for non-Catholic schools.

It remains to be seen how much of a traction each of those issues can take.