- For Harper and the Con's, Dismantling Transfer Payments and Tearing Our Health Care System Asunder - Collateral Damage, Friendly Fire - I Think Not

Posted: 10:24 AM on November 8, 2010 Globe and Mail
Provinces brace for health-care transfer-payment showdown with Ottawa, Karen Howlett and André Picard, Globe and Mail, Nov. 08, 2010
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/healthcare/provinces-brace-for-health-care-transfer-payment-showdown-with-ottawa/article1789046/

The Healthcare transfer payments come to a head when the current agreement expires in a couple years, in '13 - '14.

At that time, do we, as Canadians, really want Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party 'representing our interests at the bargaining table' with Alberta and the other Provinces.

It is hard to think that the Health Care agreement expiring in '13 - '14, a short 2 years before Harper 's predicted balancing the budget - predicated on them remaining in power of course - is a mere coincidence.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer's recent report suggests that the troublesome part of the Harper projections is the transfer payments, and Health-Care payments, and appears to be of the opinion that there is no way to balance the budget as predicted by Harper without affecting these.

What does the Con ideology say about transfer payments and Healthcare payments (= privatization, for Harper and the Con's). What has it, and Harper, said in the primordial beginnings of the Reform Party and Harper's pre-leadership, and since then.

What do the Provinces, like Alberta, feel about this.

What might the die-hard core of right wing extremists, epi-centre in Alberta (responsible for 33% in support) that keep Harper in power, and the Con coffers bulging, and to which Harper and the Con's policies cater might like to see.

Elimination of Transfer Payments and Privatization of Health Care is not 'collateral damage' or even 'friendly-fire' in a Harper 'battle of the budget'.
It is quite the other way around.

The huge deficits and spending are collateral to the fundamental objective of Harper and the Con's of eliminating the transfer payments and privatization of health care, tearing Federalism asunder, abdicating to the Provinces and converting Canadians to Con'ism.

And you can betcha this motivation will feature prominently in any Harper or Con, 'negotiations' on Canadian Health Care.

What about the Vast Majority of Canadians, is that how we want to balance the books, by eliminating Healthcare and tearing Canada asunder.

Do we want Harper, from now till then, insidiously laying the ground work for such demolition. As Harper himself said "the strengths of a plan are advanced preparation and consistent execution" (Vancouver Sun, 10 Oct.'08)

Perhaps, we should ask them all.

excerpt: Lloyd MacILquham cicblog.com/comments.html