Romanow speaks on the future of Canadian health care:

Crisis or complacency? That’s up to you

Tessa Vanderhart, Staff

The future of Canadian health care is much the same as it was two years ago, according to Roy Romanow.

The former Saskatchewan premier, though he’s now retired, continues to be a proponent of public health care in Canada, as well as the Romanow report, and he’s more than willing to talk about it.

“My pitch is that we have to have a vision: it’s a small country, and we’re all in this boat together,” he said.

He noted that he no longer has the capacity to make decisions of this nature — but like all citizens, he has a stake in the future of health care, which is why he’s continuing to fight for the changes outlined in the Romanow report — the definitive 2003 report on the future of Canadian health care.

“People can make as many speeches as they want, write as many reports . . . . if it doesn’t get reform, not just money without reform, there will be a crisis,” he said.

“Ottawa doesn’t know what’s best for Saskatchewan — or for Ontario, or BC,” he said. “But federalism has another dimension to it as well; you can’t simply have Ottawa serve as an ATM, with federal money dispersed to provinces to do as they want.”

Romanow compared saving health care to nation-building. He recognized the importance of regional differences, but in a larger framework that supports national cohesion.

He said that Canada is at a crossroads: continuing to fund healthcare on the basis of need rather than universality will lead to privatization. But, he noted, he is not yet ready to give up on public health care — or his report.

“I don’t have all the answers, I’m not always right. You can’t go to a book, see page 27 — this is what should be done,” he said. “At some point or another, somebody has to look at the evidence and do it, and act in the national interest.”

“If I’m right and Canadians want our medicare system to improve, I think it’s an excellent blueprint,” he noted.

Health-care reform is in and out of the news, but Romanow is doing his best to keep it at the forefront: in addition to speaking at the Council of Canadians’ 20th anniversary last month, he has travelled to universities, most recently Dalhousie, to stoke the fires of debate.

Romanow expressed concern that in the future, health care may be determined by the courts rather than Canadians.

“If it’s unreasonable in this one particular case, then the court still has not told us: what is a reasonable wait time?” he asked. “Are we going to let the courts decide that?”

With the depth of feeling Canadians have on the issue, he said that it ties very well into his career and is as important, and possibly more lasting, than any other issue he has dealt with as both an advisor to Trudeau and the premier of Saskatchewan.

He said that the idea of privatized health care will, ultimately, be dismissed — but that talking about it is nonetheless necessary, and, in fact, extremely important.

“The questions are very tough, and the conversation is worth it,” Romanow said.