Canada’s NDP Leader calls on Trudeau government to reject the American style, for-profit health care Conservatives are pushing

Singh says the Liberals spent $100 million on consultants but refuse to deliver on promise to hire 7,100 nurses to help address staffing shortages

OTTAWA – On Thursday, Canada’s NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called out the Trudeau government for failing to defend the public health care system against Conservative premiers pushing for-profit care that makes wait times longer, costs patients money and makes staffing shortages even worse.

Yesterday, the president of the Ontario Hospital Association added his voice to those opposing Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s plan to deliver vital health care services through private facilities that will pull doctors and nurses away from the public system.

“Doug Ford’s plan cannibalizes the health care system, and Justin Trudeau is letting it happen,” said Singh. “We already have a shortage of health care workers and Ford’s answer to this is to take people out of operating rooms and ERs in the public system and send them to private facilities. How does that make sense?”

“Canadians need the prime minister to help get more doctors, nurses and other health care workers into our public system—not less. The prime minister doesn’t mind handing out $100 million to private consultants but he won’t keep his promise to hire thousands of nurses.”

The Ontario Nurses Association and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario have spoken out against privatizing health care, yet the Liberal government is refusing to make protecting the public, not-for-profit, universal health care a condition on provincial funding.

“New Democrats are the only party defending the public health care system that makes us all proud to be Canadian,” said Singh.