Edmonton – Official Opposition Leader Raj Sherman says the federal government’s decree limiting health transfer payments to GDP growth leaves Alberta at the mercy of a PC government that’s long wanted to privatize health care.

Yesterday federal finance minister Jim Flaherty announced a new formula for federal health transfers to the provinces. Beginning in 2016, the growth of such transfers will be limited to GDP growth. In practical terms, that means a reduction in the rate of increase from the current figure of six percent to something around four percent.

Sherman points out that he raised this very issue in Question Period earlier this month, and that the Premier’s response clearly indicated she wasn’t willing to play hardball on behalf of Albertans.

“Most other premiers have responded to this unilateral declaration from Ottawa with justifiable outrage,” Sherman says. “When I raised this issue in the legislature, the premier offered some feel-good rhetoric about being partners in confederation, which is all well and good except when your partner is playing fast and loose with your money. Now our premier is silent, which suggests to me that she and her old boys’ club cabinet are perfectly happy to see health transfers trimmed, because it suits their backroom agenda to privatize public health care.”

Sherman says that rather than make the necessary changes to management that would fix the health care system, the Redford administration will use the health transfer cuts as an excuse to privatize.

“Mark my words: at some point in the future the premier will stand up and say that Alberta can no longer afford public health care, that Albertans will have to make do with less and pay out of pocket for more and more health care services. We can avoid that scenario, but only if we change the government.”

A Sherman Liberal government would fix health care by expanding the role of primary care networks, training enough health care professionals to cover Alberta’s population growth and ensure everyone has a family doctor, opening up enough public home care and long-term care spaces to clear the backlog in hospitals and emergency rooms, and focusing on prevention to keep Albertans healthy and out of hospitals.

“There really is no alternative anymore,” Sherman says. “If Albertans want private US-style health care, they should vote for the Redford PCs. But if Albertans want their public health care system fixed, they must elect a new Sherman Liberal government. Albertans deserve better.”

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For more information contact:

Earl J. Woods
(780) 904-5430

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