CKNW Editorial
for November 22, 2000

Jean Chretien is, as we know, a hypocrite. He made health care an issue and painted himself as Captain Medicare, the one hope we have if we didn’t want Stockwell Day to bring in the dreaded two tier health system. Of course that would mean an American style system where poor people all over the land would be dying in the streets for want of care.

As divulged here a couple of weeks ago it turns out that Mr Chretien might be against two tiered health care for the rest of the country but he certainly is for it when it comes to his own health care.

It turns out that not only is Mr Chretien not in favour for lineups for himself in the public care system, he’s doesn’t even like them in the second tier elite system he used.

A bit of background.

The National Defence Ministry Clinic – NDMC for short -is a private health care system originally set up for the military and is located in Ottawa. Over the years it also became a private clinic for use by parliamentarians and high level bureaucrats. Somehow those who made the rules decided that they themselves ought not to suffer line-ups and other deprivations suffered by ordinary folks.

In January 1991, an Armed Services man who we will call Mr Smith entered NDMC for serious appendix surgery. His appendix had previously exploded and there were serious complications including cancer. He was admitted to NDMC for a complicated surgery and his mother and father flew up from London Ontario, at their own expense, to be by the bedside of their seriously ill son. His distraught wife and children were also by his bedside. He was ready, physically for an ooperation he knew full well he might not survive.

The night before Mr Smith’s operation he was informed that his surgery would have to be delayed because a VIP was coming in to have exploratory surgery – a surgery that was important but scarcely life threatening. And guess who that was? None other than the then Leader of the Opposition, Jean Chretien. Mr Smith’s parents had to go home to London – his wife and family had to go home and stew. Mr Smith had to suffer the tremendous let down that comes from such experiences then pump himself up again. It’s hard to measure the terrific strain this put on Mr Smith, his wife and family but if you talk to Mrs Smith, as we have, you’ll know that it was little short of devastating.

There was, luckily, no harm done. Just a few hours postponement of a serious operation so a politician could have priority for a none life threatening condition.

Let Mr Smith give his views.

"So here is my point. Mr Chretien likes to attack Mr Day on Alliance health care. 2 tier, private clinics … whatever he can come up with. He expounds the virtues of Canadian "universal" health care and equality for all. But he doesn’t practice it. Not only does he go to NDMC and avoid civilian waits, he bypasses the queue in the military system. He may have been an important man but he was only opposition, not the government."

We’re getting quite a closeup of the man about 30% of British Columbians want to be the prime minister for another four years. A man who tries to strangle a protester and shoves a reporter aside … a man who comforts international despots and shoots pepper spray at those who protest … a man who tosses any who disagree with him – even when it’s formal Liberal policy – out of cabinet and out of the party … a man so arrogant he refuses to meet the citizens of this country unless they happen to be at a $500 a plate fundraiser for the Liberals … a man who parachutes his own pals into ridings. And, a man that not only shovels public funds into his riding but also bullies a bank manager he himself appointed, at the official prime ministerial residence amongst other places and demands he give $615,000 to a crooked ex business crony … then revels in the fact that his personally appointed Ethics Commissioner … his poodle .. surprise! surprise! exonerates him!

The same man who preaches for a universal one tiered health care system while he not only avoids the queues in the public tier but jumps to the front of the queue in the elite care system.

This is not only the man who will be re-elected – he will have the unqualified support of every Liberal MP.

That surely ought to be what gives us pause for thought. All those Liberals who are pleading their own special case to be MPs are in fact running to be yes-men – ciphers – toadies and lickspittles who will do precisely what they are told then come home and tell you how hard they fought for you behind closed doors and how they were forced against their will to vote against your interest.

Are we really to be condemned with four more years of Hedy Fry, Herb Dhaliwal and Lou Seklora?! I guess, when all’s said and done, we get what we deserve.