Medicare unifies Canada: Romanow
U of S panel looks at nation’s health care
Sixteen years after the federal government established the Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care, a panel of experts at the University of Saskatchewan talked about the future of Canada’s health-care system.
Chancellor Roy Romanow, who headed the 2001 royal commission and led the panel on Monday, said health care remains an important test for the nation.
“Public medicare is one of the defining features of this country. History teaches us that it was not achieved very easily,” the former Saskatchewan premier said.
“History also teaches us that it is in many ways one of the important programs which unifies us.”
Romanow said as Canada’s history is written, it’s important for the public and policy-makers to remember that nation-building is an ongoing and sometimes contentious process.
He said medicare still serves as a test of whether varying political ideologies, leaders and regional stakeholders can build programs that unify Canadians while providing an important service to the population.
“It’s our attempt to honour Canada, to relish and cherish it, and to try and talk about the issues that we may need to resolve going forward,” he said.
Former prime ministers Jean Chretien, Kim Campbell and Paul Martin are all set to speak on the campus within the next 60 days as part of the university’s Canada 150 celebrations.
Romanow said he hopes the lectures, scheduled for Sept. 27, Oct. 4 and Nov. 9, will give students a chance to “learn from the lessons of the past.”
Chretien led the country during the 1995 Quebec Referendum, Campbell served as the first female prime minister and Martin is known for his work on Indigenous issues.
Romanow said the lectures will be a celebration of Canada’s history by those who have played critical roles in shaping it, noting he hopes members of the university community are inspired to get engaged and think critically about our society.
“There are great lessons to be learned about the accomplishments — and also the deficiencies — in our system,” he said.
University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union president David D’Eon said he personally feels hearing from the former prime ministers is a “fantastic opportunity” that demonstrates the benefits a university education can offer outside the classroom.
“It’s going to be interesting to hear what they have to say about their experiences,” he said.