IMAGE FROM CANDIDATE'S WEB
Health care crisis needs to be fixed
Liberal party backers and others turned out in force Friday for a meet-and-greet with Bernadette Jordan, Liberal MP candidate for South Shore-St. Margaret's at ArtStudio 138 in Shelburne on Friday.
For two hours, Jordan explained her reasons for running, discussed with the many pro-Liberal supporters in the crowd how a Liberal government might be different than the current Harper government and answered questions from some of the two dozen attendees.
Jordan said that the South Shore has been overlooked by the current government and noted that she has six campaign offices in the riding, far more than any of her opponents.
She said that, rather than being a conduit for messages from a government in Ottawa, she would fight to have the voice of the South Shore heard in the capital.
When asked how she expected to accomplish that as a rookie MP in what is likely to be a minority government, she explained that Liberal leader Justin Trudeau is a "leader who listens" and that she trusted him to continue that practice after the election. The distinct styles of accommodating concerns of MPs of Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau could best be shown, opined Liberal party insider Kirk Cox, by looking at the situation of Bill Casey.
Casey, it will be remembered, bucked Harper on his Atlantic Accords position and was removed from caucus. After successfully serving as an independent, Casey has joined the ranks of the Liberal party and is well positioned to win a seat against Tory stalwart Scott Armstrong.
The one issue most on the minds of attendees was the perceived crisis in health care in the region.
Jordan said that much of the issue was based on lack of funding and insisted she would push for a new federal/provincial "health accord", which would be based on "need, not numbers." The Liberal Party has recently issued its health care platform, which includes a new health accord, including an agreement on future funding and an immediate commitment of $3 billion in the first four years to prioritize additional and improved home care. Other aspects of the health care platform include:
- Improve access and reducing the cost of prescription medications
- support and dissemination of research and best practices to reduce unnecessary over-prescribing of medications
- prioritize decreasing the number of harmful, adverse drug reactions by improving reporting, and ensuring more research and follow-up on reported adverse effects.
- ensure timely approvals for new medicines
- consult with industry and review the rules used by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board to ensure value for money spent
- engage in Pan-Canadian collaboration on health innovation.
- increase the availability of high-quality mental health services for Canadians.
Jordan also said that the Liberal Party promise to convene a minister's meeting immediately upon forming government should also include a meeting of federal health minister with his or her provincial counterparts.
Jordan's opponents in the race include NDP hopeful Alex Godbold, Conservative candidate Richard Clark and Green Party candidate Richard Biggar.
Attendees were reminded that they could vote any day at the Elections Canada office at Loyalist Plaza.