Political Party Records on Health Care & Questions for Candidates

Ontario Health Coalition

Federal Election 2025

QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES:

Uphold & Enforce the Canada Health Act

The Canada Health Act bans extra-billing and user fees for patients for medically needed physician and hospital care – and those services when provided in free standing clinics (such as private surgical clinics) or by other health professionals (such as Nurse Practitioners) where the provinces allow them. The federal government is supposed to uphold the Act and claw back funding from provinces that do not stop such charges to patients. What will you do to stop private clinics that are charging patients for surgeries and diagnostic tests? Will you advocate to speed up the enforcement of the Canada Health Act to ensure public funding for Nurse Practitioner led clinics and teams that are charging patients for access to primary care? What will you do to stop virtual care (online) companies that are charging patients for access to primary care?

Expand Medicare to Cover Safe & Effective Drugs (Pharmacare)

The expansion of public health care to cover drugs is many decades overdue. The first phase of “pharmacare” that has been brought in by the federal government covers diabetes medications and contraceptives. This is a good first step. The program needs to be expanded so that we have national bulk buying of drugs (to lower the cost) and coverage for safe and effective medications. What is your commitment to expanding pharmacare? Will you cover all safe and effective needed medications along the same lines and according to the principles of Public Medicare in Canada (equitable universal coverage, without user fees and under a public insurance program not a for-profit insurance program), and when?

Provide Dental Care Coverage

The new dental care program covers people under age 18 and over 64. It is to be expanded to people over 55 years old on May 1, and subsequently to people between 18 and 55. See the schedule here. Will you commit to keeping the new dental care program for seniors and children and expanding it to the rest of Canadians as planned?

End For-Profit Health & Seniors’ Care

More than 4,000 people died of COVID-19 in Ontario’s long-term care homes. Others died of malnutrition, dehydration, terrible neglect and inadequate care. The death rates in for-profit long-term care homes were five times higher than those in publicly-owned long-term care homes. For-profit clinics charge patients illegal user fees and extra-billing charges for medically needed surgeries and diagnostic tests in violation of our Medicare protection laws. Public tax dollars should go to care not profit. Will you commit to tying federal dollars to expanding and improving public and non-profit health care not to expanding for-profit corporations?

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