NATO spending’s first casualty: pharmacare
Government to cut spending to pay for National Defence boost
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In peace,
Steve
Canada’s military budget is set to grow so much, the question everyone is asking is: How will Prime Minister Carney pay for it?
Will there be new taxes? A bigger budget deficit? Or, as many fear, will there be major spending cuts?
The answer is becoming clear: big spending cuts are on the way.
Warfare or health care?
In spending much more on National Defence, the federal government will have to cut back in other areas, Prime Minister Mark Carney said recently.
Carney says Canada will meet 2% NATO spending target by March, years sooner than previously thought. $9.3B in new spending includes military recruitment, pay increases for personnel. At NATO, the Prime Minister promised to raise military and related infrastructure spending even more: to 5% of GDP.
Key campaign promise in doubt
The first program to feel the axe maybe a cherished health care program that Prime Minister Carney promised to protect: pharmacare.
Right now, only four provinces and territories have signed funding deals with the federal government to provide free contraceptives and diabetes treatments to everyone, regardless of income.
But government cut-backs may mean no new provinces will be allowed to join the national program.
The Canadian Press reported on Thursday:
“At a press conference in New Brunswick this week, when asked why talks weren't progressing with the remaining provinces, [Health Minister] Michel said that this is a new government in a new context.
“A spokesperson for the minister says the government will protect the four deals that have been signed but did not say whether the Liberals plan to sign new agreements.”
As you may know, when I’m not writing for PeaceQuest I work on health care policy. When asked to respond by Canadian Press, I said, “I don't think anybody voted for cuts to health care, including pharmacare."
How to take action:
You can send a letter to Prime Minister Carney urging him to keep his promise on pharmacare through the Canadian Health Coalition website.
Leave a comment explaining your vote.
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Last week’s poll results
Almost everyone (95%) agreed that the military sexism/racism scandals is part of a bigger problem, not the result of a few “bad apples.”
Here is more information on the problem with extremism in the military from CBC:
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Steve
Government should change course for a real crisis, but not for a trumped-up excuse, and preferably without stoking a further crisis.
Right or wrong, health care’s primary tool is medication. To have excluded the category of pharmacare is a long standing hypocritical policy of Canada that makes no sense. But Canada cannot afford it, now, and was a tragically timed introduction of important policy. It should stop. Cancelled. As an observer of Canadian health care, the system is not ready to be entrusted with such economic weight to further entrench in their entropy. Fix their current problems first. That applies to both medical professionals and MPs.