Healthcare In Alberta - Erosion Of Social Conscience In Canada

If we continue to accept our position as helpless victims we do so at our own peril. Universal Healthcare is affordable for all Canadians. The Alberta Conservative government has stopped listening to the people, stopped working for the people and instead is forging onward to serve the private corporations in the healthcare industry, even if it means breaking the Canada Health Act, according to Mr.Klein. I have written to my MLA, to Premier Klein as well as the members of the opposition parties to express my concern. The Alberta Liberals responded promptly to my letter of concern (Jan.2006 copied below), while the ANDP have just responded this week,(after a second letter). Both are trying to help Albertans and Canadian Action Party supports them in their endeavors. We cannot rely on a party to speak for us, we must speak for ourselves. The loss of Universal Healthcare is but a symptom of a greater problem. Our social consciousness is being eroded. We are buying into the greed mentality. We are being programmed to believe resources are limited and only those who deserve them will be rewarded. The criteria for being a recipient is becoming more and more limited. The body of judges determining who is worthy was self appointed and in no way reflects the facts. I firmly believe there is enough food, medicine, money, water and air to sustain the world’s population. The crisis is not resources, it is in the management of those resources. Like young children who have not been taught to share, or care for their fellow playmates, we are living in a world that has become so consumed by having more, we have forgotten the very basic premise of living in a community. Regardless of where you live on this planet, what you do affects others. We are all dependant on each other. If humanity is to find that balance called civilization, we will have to dig deep and return to a level of social conscience that is significantly above the level we have sunk to today! I am asking my fellow Canadians and Albertans to help us fight for what all Canadians have a right to; and that is Universal Healthcare, publicly funded and delivered. I believe that Canadians have been silent far too long and that in doing so we have abdicated our place in democracy. It is ours to reclaim! If Universal Healthcare was affordable in Tommy Douglas’ Saskatchewan 1960’s, then it is certainly affordable in oil rich Alberta 2006! Government in a democracy puts the people’s best interest first. This is our country so let us demand that our elected officials work for us and our best interest. If you see yourself as rich enough to sustain this new world consumer mentality then I ask you to consider the future where only the rich will thrive and the rest will simply be servants. Consider the legacy of debt, crumbling infrastructure, homelessness, poverty, wars fought for survival and desperation we are leaving to the next generation! It doesn’t have to be this way, we can all be ‘great’ Canadians and leave a legacy of which we can be truly proud! We have a choice, we have a voice, let’s use it! Yours very truly Catherine Whelan Costen Canadian Action Party President & Communications Director www.canadianactionparty.ca FYI - copy of letter to Opposition in Alberta ( the Alberta Liberals have requested permission to table this letter in the Legislature) Alberta's Healthcare in Crisis What Can We Do?(was the title of original email sent) Catherine Whelan Costen Canadian Action Party President January 29, 2006 Alberta Government Opposition Members Edmonton, Alberta RE: Universal Healthcare in Alberta Dear members of the Opposition I am writing to you to ask what you are recommending the people of Alberta do, to stop the privatization of our healthcare? Clearly the people are not being fully informed, nor fully consulted. We are faced with a very real threat and the constant hype coming from the Conservatives, that anything Ottawa says ‘we’ shall reject. This posturing must be combated. Sadly most Albertans don’t understand what this means for most of us. I would like to know if an investigation into spending of public funds can be undertaken? We have had far too much money flowing in Alberta to be sacrificing our healthcare, education and seniors, but just the same it is happening, so the question is why?We know that Canadians had input into the Romanow Report and that the majority favoured its implementation. Some people even know that there have been numerous studies completed at taxpayers expense by the Alberta government. Many of us are aware that our Alberta Healthcare cards were corrupted and multiple cards issued and abused, without ever having a full investigation and no charges apparently laid.(Gary Marr’s watch?) We also know that the system, was starved by our Federal Liberal government, under the direction of Mr. Martin. We also know that perfectly viable hospitals like the Calgary General and the Holy Cross were disposed of, that nurses, support staff, cleaning staff etc were terminated, and that the system has been eroded either through total incompetence or deliberate mismanagement of our money. How can this be investigated? How can the full story be revealed to the public? I tried to address this as a provincial NDP candidate in the last election, and again as a Canadian Action Party candidate in this recent federal election. Canadian Action Party, although a small party, has been working very hard to disclose that using the Bank of Canada as it was intended would return our public purse to responsible use. We could fund the system very easily by using the Bank of Canada, so that any funds we need are borrowed at low or no interest. This is not well known, but it is known and well researched. We used the Bank of Canada prior to Mr. Mulroney’s bail out of the banks in 1991 when he started reducing the reserves required by banks to do business in Canada. When Mr. Mulroney made this pivotal decision our national debt began to increase and Mr. Martin continued the practice. Our national debt is now approx. $500 billion with a maintenance payment of about $37 billion annually. That does not include provincial or municipal debt. Clearly the choice to impoverish Canadians was made at the Federal level,(as per social programs cuts etc) but what choice was made at the provincial level? Albertans deserve answers. There have been many arguments that say that provincially bureaucrats prevent speedy treatment, that there are limits to the number of surgeries allowed and that in the private system this would not occur. Why are we claiming not enough beds, when it is lack of staff, that is the problem? Why are the public not told how this happened and what we can do to stop it? I do realize that the public elected the Conservatives, and that you can’t get unbiased press but there must be another way! We have several hospitals not being used to their full potential in Alberta. We have one in Vulcan, which just closed its maternity ward due to lack of use. They claim it isn’t about money, however without an anesthetist, or surgeon on staff, there is no use because there is no service and there is no service because it is not funded. The only voices we are hearing are those of the rich. We know that privatization is not the answer and that Albertans simply want it fixed, but with proper disclosure and a thorough investigation we could turn the tide. I am offering to assist in this matter. I do not know whether an investigation can occur or whether the public in fact has any recourse, but I do know we cannot sit by and watch the destruction of what was once the best healthcare system in the World. Canadians deserve better! Certainly in a province that claims to be the richest in Canada we can deliver the best healthcare in Canada to all, not just the privileged or the rich. Tommy Douglas wasn’t just the greatest Canadian because he initiated the greatest healthcare. He was the greatest Canadian because he looked at obstacles as opportunities and faced them head on. He was working with the same climate of greed that we are, but he didn’t have the tools we have today. We must stand up for those who cannot speak, and there are many in Alberta who are not living the Alberta advantage. Please let me know what you are doing, and what I can do to assist in this matter. I look forward to your response. I am attaching a press release from CAP which explains the use of the Bank of Canada, which I believe will help you to fully understand what could be done, if we had the political will. Yours truly Catherine Whelan Costen Canadian Action Party President Cc: Connie Fogal, Canadian Action Party Leader Cc: All members of the Alberta Liberals and NDP Opposition CAP Press Release: Canadian Action Party(CAP)/Parti action canadienne (PAC)Supports Budget Amendment Deal of Martin- Layton but says They Do Not Go Far Enough May 2, 2005 The Agreement between the NDP and the Liberals to amend the 2005 budget in the best interest of the nation should be hailed by all Canadians. The investment in the environment, housing, and childcare will pay large dividends to all Canadians because it will make Canada a better place to live. It was the pressure of the opposition in a minority government threatening to bring down the government that caused the Liberal government to admit "We Do Have the Money" for social programs and the environment, as CAP/PAC has been saying since 1997. The priority issue of CAP/PAC is monetary and fiscal policy reform that brings government accountability to the management of our money to be administered on behalf of the Canadian people. Government needs to pay attention to the preference of the citizenry in spending priorities, not just that of corporations and banks. Current polls show that Canadians want government expenditure on health care, education, employment, and the environment, not on tax cuts, subsidies for corporations, nor paying down the debt. Canada is a very rich country. CAP/ PAC wants our riches used for our citizenry. We can now and always could afford the programs and even many more than are set out in the Martin/Layton budget amendments. The CD Howe Institute, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business do not want citizens to know that because they want our money to be used for their interest only, not that of all the citizens. The mainstream media will not admit that because they are owned by members of these organizations, and exist to support those institutions, not the interest of all Canadians. What is the proof that Canada has the money or the capacity to use our money for people programs? The first proof comes from the government's own admission under pressure from the auditor general that it had been "cooking the books" since confederation by failing to show many of our nation's assets on their financial statements. In other words, the assets did not balance the liabilities, such that it appeared we were in far greater debt and less rich than was true. Canada is richer than government pretends. The recent use of full accrual accounting in government financial statements proves this. Dishonest government accounting procedures in place until recently misled the public by greatly undervaluing our wealth, even to the point of pretending some of our assets did not exist. In 2002, the government ceased this practice and moved to full accrual accounting in the federal financial statements. (See annex 6 of the Budget Plan 2003 which details the implementation of full accrual accounting.) This came about as a result of pressure from Canada's auditor general, Denis Desautels, who refused to sign off on the books without the implementation of accrual accounting, that is all liabilities balanced against all assets The most important benefit of accrual accounting is identified by the statement on page 279 of Budget Plan 2003 which reads:"Full accrual is more comprehensive as additional liabilities are recognized and non financial assets and government buildings are now included" By including in the ledger assets previously omitted, the value of the federal debt shows now as dramatically declined by $28.8 billion. (The estimated value of the federal debt (accumulated deficits) at March 31, 2002 declined from $536.5 billion to $507.7 billion. This was a $28.5 billion write down of our debt without spending one dollar of revenue. For years Canadians were paying interest on $28.8 billion because of faulty accounting.) Since our 1997 inception, CAP/PAC has been fighting this Enron type accounting ongoing since confederation. CAP supports the budget amendment's immediate use of our money for environment, housing and childcare rather than providing tax cuts for corporations who then turn around and export their operations and/or jobs offshore. Remember, however, that Martin still intends to implement the corporate tax cuts, but later (and so does Harper, even faster). It is very important that the citizenry realize that it is possible to maintain as top priority use of money for people and environmental programs. Mechanisms are available to our governments if they choose to use them . They have power over the creation, use and application of money that can deliver to the people what we want. It is not just a question of prioritization of the use of our money, i.e., feed the people rather than/or at least before the corporations and banks . It is a question also of managing the money supply with rules that make it available for what we want, rather than just what the banks and major international corporations want. The Martin/ Layton amendments can be paid for in two ways primarily:(1) Greater use of our Bank of Canada, and (2) Reinstatement of Statutory Reserves. 1. Bank of Canada (BOC): Today the Bank of Canada provides the Receiver General of Canada annually close to $2 billion in profit from the BOC operations. The actual amount may be found in the annual report of the BOC. This amount could be greatly increased by the government borrowing more from the BOC, which it wholly owns, as it previously did, rather than borrowing from commercial banks and non residents. CAP/PAC estimates that $5 to $6 billion more could be generated for the Receiver General if the government refinanced 15%-20% of the debt with the BOC, just like corporations buy back their debt. The government of Canada has the authority under the BOC to direct the governor of the BOC to undertake this action now. Madelaine Drohan, business columnist, wrote about the BOC in the Globe and Mail Sept 16, 2000: under the headline Canadians Reveal Shocking Ignorance of Central Bank. She wrote: "Given the role all these institutions play in our daily lives, such low public awareness is unhealthy. And in a democracy where these institutions are supposed to be run for the interest of the people, it is unacceptable. How can we be sure they are working for us if we do not even know what they do". When the Central bank holds federal debt, the interest paid on it finds its way substantially back as dividends to the government which since 1938 has been the sole shareholder of the Bank of Canada When the chartered banks hold the same debt, the interest on it stays with the chartered banks.. 2. Statutory Reserves: In 1991 Canada's chartered banks suffered big losses due to their gambling. in gas and oil, international real estate, and much else incompatible with banking. They had lost much of their capital. They came crying to our government to bail them out. The Mulroney Conservatives did it by the elimination of statutory reserves, phasing them out over two years, 1991-1993. The purpose of the elimination of the statutory reserves was to bail out the banks and pay for their lost assets at the expense of the taxpayer. What were statutory reserves? By law (statute) our chartered banks were required to deposit with our bank of Canada a modest part of the short term deposits they received from the public. This deposit was called a "reserve".This reserve was the price that banks had to pay for the licence our government granted to them to be the ones to create most of our money supply, and to profit from that money creation by receipt of interest on the money they created. Amendment S. 457 ss (4) Chapter 46 Statutes of Canada 1991 passed by the Mulroney Conservative government phased out the obligation of the chartered banks to redeposit with the Bank of Canada a portion of the deposits(usually 8%to 12%) the public had made into their chequing accounts. The reserves that were deposited with our Bank of Canada earned the banks no interest. That is, our Bank of Canada paid no interest to the banks in return for the BOC holding and using those reserves. The banks did not like that. Those reserves put at the disposal of the Canadian government over $120 billion dollars of interest free money that would grow from year to year with the economy.. (William Krehm, The Journal of the Committee on Monetary and Economic Reform, Volume 16, No.1, January 2004.) The quantum used to be even more when the amount of reserves, i.e., the percentage of deposits, was much higher. To make matters worse, after phasing out the statutory reserves, our government turned around and borrowed from those same banks, either directly or indirectly, the money it needed to make up for the loss of the deposits, and now pay those same banks $5 to$8 billion interest per year on that money that previously had been interest free to our government and hence to us the citizens. (William Krehm). That means citizens are paying an unnecessary $5 to 8 billion interest per year to the banks, on an unnecessary debt. Most of the national debt about which Conservative and Liberals make such a fuss originated from the elimination of the statutory reserves and the transfer of debt from the BOC to the chartered banks. That has been a most carefully guarded secret. The very least Layton should demand in return for NDP ongoing support following the passing of the budget is the reinstatement of statutory reserves. To do any less is to perpetuate one of the greatest abuses of taxpayer's money exceeding the current sponsorship scandal. It is not social and environmental programs that caused the massive debt of Canada. It was the scandalous mismanagement of Canada's money permitting outrageous benefit to banks. CAP/PAC calls on all political parties to commit to the reinstatement of statutory reserves. Voters should accept no less! To quote William Krehm, editor of the Journal of the Committee on Monetary and Economic Reform, COMER, "It is time we all started beating the drums for a royal commission to find out the extent of the expoliation of the public treasury that makes the sponsorship scandal child's play" The Canadian Action Party believes that knowledge of public finance and its management is of such vital importance to all our nation's citizens. Because of the effect it has on our daily lives this subject should be incorporated in all K-12 provincial education programs. Until then CAP will continue to provide to Canadians the information needed to ensure that Canada has a strong economy that provides a better life for all and that the government uses all its constitutional and legislative powers to ensure that happens. Contacts: Jim Jordan (604) 277 4139 grandpajj@hotmail.com; Connie Fogal (604) 872 2128 conniefogal@telus.net www.canadianactionparty.ca CAP/PAC #385-916 West Broadway Ave. Vancouver BC V5Z1K7 --------------------------------- Connie Fogal, Leader ,Canadian Action Party/ parti action Canadienne Tel: (604)872 2128; or (604) 708 3372 (FAX: 604) 872 -1504 E-MAIL conniefogal@telus.net Catherine Whelan Costen, Canadian Action Party President & Communications Director Email: cathpublish@wildroseinternet.ca Ph: 403-660-0449 Canadian ActionParty Head office : # 385- 916 West Broadway, Vancouver BC, V521K7; e mail: info@canadianactionparty.ca ................................. "The world is not, in fact, ruled by global corporations. It is ruled by the global financial system." David Korten ................................. "The ability of a party to make a valuable contribution is not dependent upon its capacity to offer the electorate a genuine government option. Political parties... act as a vehicle for the participation of individual citizens in the political life of the country. ...Marginal or regional parties tend to raise issues not adopted by national parties. Political parties provide individual citizens with an opportunity to express an opinion on the policy and functioning of government. Each vote in support of a party increases the likelihood that its platform will be taken into account by those who implement policy, and votes for parties with fewer than 50 candidates are an integral component of a vital and dynamic democracy. " Figueroa v Canada (Attorney General) 2003 SCC 37 ----------------------------------- "Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security"...Benjamin Franklin .................................. "The constitution of Canada does not belong either to Parliament, or to the Legislatures; it belongs to the country and it is there that the citizens of the country will find the protection of the rights to which they are entitled" Supreme Court of Canada A.G. of Nova Scotia and A.G. of Canada, S.C.R. 1951 pp 32

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