Do Canadians value pain and suffering?

Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman (L - Toronto Centre-Rosedale) has refused to even consider alternate means for Ontarians to get their health ailments addressed in a timely manner. He states:

"This Ministry of Health gives you and all Ontarians the complete assurance, I will never support the outsourcing of those knee surgeries to any private, for-profit-motivated organization," Mr. Smitherman said. "Our government fundamentally believes that the public health-care system, the not-for-profit public health-care system is the best expression of Canadian values [emphasis added]."..

A couple of questions Mr. Smitherman:

1) Canadians hold a wide range of different values. Some value a free market approach to these things, while other prefer a more socialist approach. Is your stance in fact Canadian values or Liberal Party values? I would argue its the latter.

2) The time from diagnosis to surgery being performed can be less than two weeks for my dog, but over two years for myself for similar ailments. Please explain why I should not have other options available to me?

3) Is forcing people to suffer in pain when their ailments could be addressed sooner a Canadian value, or a Liberal party value?

4) Is forcing a medical condition to worsen for a year before addressing it a Canadian value, or a Liberal Party value?


Its time to stop equating Liberal Party values with Canadian values. They are not the same.

Science or hype?

An Angus Reid survey released today says that only 12% of Canadians think that global warming is based on "junk science".

Oddly enough, 12% is also roughly the level of scientific literacy in this country.