Editor's Notes

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Kristin McCahon

I'm always amazed at what seems to rankle Canadians.

Recently, for example, the nation was livid at the federal government's proposal to assist troubled hockey teams, to the extent that the government had to backtrack and revoke the scheme. Meanwhile, much more expensive waste at the Department of Human Resources wherein perhaps a billion dollars was casually doled out without proper record-keeping or follow-up has simply evoked a collective sigh of weariness.

The negative response to the hockey bailout was no doubt based on a perception of fairness. True to our Canadian selves, we didn't want to see any "rich, fat-cat hockey owners" getting richer on the backs of taxpayers. And the waste at HR? Well, that's just part of living with a "well-meaning" government.

Our reaction to problems in the country's health care system straddles these responses. We certainly don't want to see anyone getting anything that someone else can't have, even if they use their own money to do it. In fact, as a nation, we are so obsessed by the idea of fairness that we apparently won't allow any changes anywhere to the badly flawed health care system in case we introduce "two-tiered" care. We seem to be willing to live with health care's failings as long as government makes sure that we all suffer together.

Unfortunately, folks, Canada can't go on forever simply maintaining the status quo. The status quo never was perfect, and doing nothing won't make it perfect. Something must be done about health care (and many of our other social programs, too, for that matter). Change must happen, whether we like it or not, and it must happen very soon in health care, and soon enough in other programs.

Fortunately, several authors in this issue of Fraser Forum explain how to go about making some changes in the health care system. The changes don't have to be wrenching. There are ways of making changes that will protect our most vulnerable citizens. The changes these authors are suggesting are positive ones. And we have to start making some of them. Now.

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