HARRIS/MANNING VINDICATE FREEDOM AGENDA
Policy proposals
mirror Freedom Party election platforms
April 13, 2005 - Oshawa, Ontario
Former
Ontario Premier Mike Harris and former Reform Party founder/leader
Preston Manning
today released "A
Canada Strong and Free": a 69 page publication of the Fraser
Institute setting out proposals for the betterment of Canadians, Canada,
the provinces.
Freedom
Party
leader Paul McKeever is pleased with much of what the document contains.
"The
Harris-Manning proposals are backed by research by well-respected economists",
says McKeever. "And, because many of the bold policies
proposed
by Misters
Harris
and
Manning
virtually
mirror
those set out by Freedom Party in its provincial and federal
election platforms, Freedom Party is feeling somewhat vindicated today."
"Naturally,
Liberals, both federally and provincially (in Ontario) are using this
document
falsely to accuse Stephen Harper and John Tory of having
a secret agenda to allow competition for the current government monopoly
on healthcare funding. I sincerely wish that those gentlemen had such
an agenda. However, I am truly disappointed to have to inform the Liberals
that, in fact,
neither
the federal nor
the provincial
Conservative parties have
the courage and insight to end the health care funding monopoly.
"If
the Liberals want to point the finger at a party with an agenda to
break up the government healthcare funding
monopoly,
they
need
not look for or allege a secret agenda: I am proud to say that the
realization of that agenda is Freedom Party's top priority, both
federally and provincially. The reason is simple. The current government
monopoly
on healthcare
funding is dying a slow and expensive death. Socialized medicine's
top priority, in
truth,
is not saving human beings, but saving
socialized
medicine itself. Arguably, that has always been the case.
"On
behalf of Freedom Party and all other organizations who understand
the need for market solutions at this time of crisis in our health
care system, I would like to say: thank you, Misters Harris and Manning,
for leveraging your profiles to help
force a much needed discussion of economically sound alternatives into
the public
dialogue concerning health care reform and governance in general."
A
Comparison of "A Canada Strong and Free"
and Freedom Party's Federal and Provincial Election Platforms
"A
Canada Strong and Free" |
Freedom
Party of Ontario/Canada Election Platforms |
"With respect to the structure and
performance of Canada as a federal state, another serious imbalance
has been created through continued
federal intrusion into areas such as health care that our constitution
clearly
assigns to the provinces. Expansion of the federal role in areas
of provincial
jurisdiction through the arbitrary exercise of the federal spending
power violates the spirit of the constitution and creates needless
strains
in federal-provincial relations." (p. 20) |
"Freedom Party rejects the
claim that the federal government has
implicit authority to spend its revenues even on matters over which it
has no authority to make laws. With the exception of federal payments
to the provinces that are explicitly mandated by the Constitution of
Canada, a Freedom Party government will spend federal revenues
on only those matters respecting which the federal Parliament has
the power to make laws." ("The
Right Direction", 2008 election platform of the Freedom Party of Canada,
p. 17)
|
"The Canada Health Act (CHA) as interpreted
by the current federal administration establishes a public-sector
monopoly with respect
to health-care insurance, requiring government financing and administration
of all core health-care services and denying Canadians the
opportunity to acquire such services from private providers. The
CHA
also forbids any user charges or extra billing for publicly insured
services,
thus preventing the use of pricing signals and market mechanisms
in allocating scarce health-care resources efficiently. This government
monopoly and associated restrictions lead to a very inefficient
and
wasteful system that denies timely health care to all but those
with
connections or personal wealth...Do the monopolistic and anti-market
provisions of the Canada
Health Act result in better health care? Based on international
comparisons,
the answer is emphatically “No!”" (p. 27)
"Remove
jurisdictional roadblocks to better health care for patients
by substantially amending or replacing the Canada Health Act
and transferring
responsibility for health-care delivery and financing, including
tax points, entirely to the provinces." (p. 30)
|
" The
Constitution of Canada gives only the provincial Legislatures
the
power to make laws in respect of health care, education and welfare.
The Freedom Party of Canada will repeal federal laws that require
provincial Legislatures to make laws to federal specifications in order
to receive federal funding for health care, education, and welfare." ("The
Right Direction", 2008 election platform of the Freedom Party of Canada,
p. 18)
"Freedom
Party will remove the current prohibition against competition
in healthcare insurance. Those who choose to live a healthier
life will find their health care costs decrease and/or their level
of
service improve." ("The
Right Direction", 2003 election platform of the Freedom Party
of Ontario, p. 9)
|
"We
believe that the solution to providing better health care in
Canada lies with the principles we discussed at the beginning
of this paper. Canadians need more freedom of choice in health
care services. They should not be limited by a government monopoly
over service provisision." (p. 26)
"...[remove]
all federal restrictions that prevent provincial governments
from using private capital, non-governmental providers, and
market-based
pricing mechanisms in the development of health care facililities
and the delivery of health-care services to Canadians" (p. 31)
|
Freedom
Party will end the prohibition against competition with government
health care services. Knowing that
providers who give
their patients poor service will lose your business (and, therefore,
your money), all healthcare providers - including government-run
providers - will be forced to improve service to you and to other
patients. If Ontario’s health care system is truly tops,
it will do very well in competition with others. ("The
Right Direction", 2003 election platform of the Freedom
Party of Ontario, p. 10)
|
"The task for political leadership will involve challenging contemporary
Canadian attitudes to peacemaking and converting general public support
for peacekeeping into concrete support for measures to increase Canada's
peacemaking and peacekeeping capacity." (p. 64) |
"Soldiers make peace. Police keep the peace....Freedom Party
takes the position that the Canadian
forces are soldiers, not police officers, and that Canada ought not
to
be a de facto government on foreign soil.
"Activities
or planned activities anywhere on the globe that have as their
purpose or effect an attack on the life, liberty or property of Canadians
are legitimate triggers for military response where prudent diplomacy
has failed or is not feasible. Accordingly, a Freedom Party government
will not use Canadian military personnel in situations where such
a triggering event has not occurred. In particular, a Freedom Party
government will not use the Canadian military to curry political
or
economic favour with foreign governments or non-governmental
organizations such as the United Nations..." ("The
Right Direction", 2008 election platform of the Freedom Party
of Canada, p. 14) |
"Canada’s national interests
clearly include expanded free and secure
trade with the United States." (p. 51)
"...a global market economy,
the prosperity of one nation increases the prosperity of other
nations. Increasing
prosperity allows individuals and companies in foreign nations
to buy more products and services produced here in Canada. Canadian
consumers benefit from increased international competition and
the improvements
that brings in quality and price. Canadians therefore have an
undeniable national interest—both humanitarian and self serving—in
advancing freedom, democracy, peace, and prosperity abroad." (p.
52)
"So what are the public policies that will effectively advance
the interests of Canadians internationally?...a foreign policy
in which the pro-active promotion of global free trade - including
increased access for poor countries to Canada's domestic market
- largely replaces traditional government-to-government foreign
aid..." (p. 54)
|
"The
Freedom Party of Canada supports continued efforts to
harmonize the laws of the world’s countries, and to free up
the
movement of goods, services and persons around the globe.
This includes participation in meetings held by international nongovernmental
organizations. However, the Freedom Party of Canada
is committed to a foreign policy that respects, and guarantees the
continuance of, Canada’s absolute jurisdictional sovereignty
and
independence." ("The
Right Direction", 2008 election platform of the Freedom Party
of Canada, p. 13) |
This
media release has been sent to all major print, radio, and television
media.
For
further information, contact Freedom Party's leader, Paul
McKeever:
Cell:
***-***-****
Office:
905-721-9772
e-mail
|