GOVERNMENT’S HEALTHCARE AGENDA QUESTIONED

Isn’t this the way for governments to prepare to be “unprepared” for any health-care issue like the COVID-19 pandemic now facing Canadians and the world?

Why did the Harper Conservative government severely cut the federal percentage increase in the 2014 Health Accord funding by 50 per cent - from the six per cent escalator to three per cent or GDP growth, whichever was greater?

Why has the Nova Scotia provincial Liberal government remained silent over the Harper per capita change without acknowledging Nova Scotia’s health-care delivery with an older population costs more?

Why did the federal Liberals also keep these Harper funding changes knowing it will cost Nova Scotia nearly a billion dollars by 2024?

Why did the federal Liberals under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau keep this Harper cut which maintained this greatly reduced federal funding policy of health care while promising to restore its previous funding level during the election campaign?

Why has the Nova Scotia government remained silent for years as the federal percentage funding of health care has been trending downward from the arranged 50-50 start-up commitment to less than 24 per cent of the provincial costs today?

Why is the federal government allowing a federally registered charity in both Canada and the United States - Canadian Constitution Foundation - to use the Canadian Income Tax System to raise funds for a businessman doctor who is using the courts to fully legalize forprofit health care? (Enquires to the federal government through our elected MPs are still unanswered to date.)

Given our past history of all governments reducing taxes for four decades and with the growth of the offshore tax havens to hide this windfall tax money that was formerly collected by governments, one wonders why the federal government had then parliamentarysecretary Ginette Petitpas-Taylor going to Paris on June 7, 2017 for a mass-signing TIEA ceremony with 66 officials from other countries who are very concerned over the amount of tax-leakage to offshore tax havens?

This event by the Canadian government is pure political theatre because of the Harper government’s change to the Income Tax Regulations 5907 (11), which Trudeau has NOT rescinded, will game the system in favour of corporate tax cheats who will repatriate their offshore profits tax-free while leaving no trace.

Is there any wonder why governments are unprepared for a health care crisis pandemic? Is there any wonder what the government’s health-care agenda really is? Charles W. Sampson Sydney Forks