Thread by @sunnshiiny

Within hours AB hospitals will be triaging patients.

Our healthcare system is in imminent collapse.

As I write this, a panel of conservative advisors are lamenting the CPC election loss on CBC. They’re discussing the strategies that were used by CPC to win that didn’t work.

O’Toole’s refusal to throw Kenney under the bus is being casually discussed. Consensus is he made a mistake standing by Kenney.

Legault’s interference in Quebec by recommending CPC is lauded as an effective strategy. But sticking by Kenney reduced its impact on ROC.

Niigan Sinclair is recommending O’Toole remain leader and CPC continue to offer moderate centrist leadership to win the 905. He advises the party to move to the centre for messaging. Without mentioning ideology of the party candidates.

Just tell people what they want to hear.

I’m stunned 😳

Alberta’s healthcare system is in imminent meltdown and collapse and CBC is providing a clinical analysis of the Kenney strategy like it was a normal political move that negatively impacted voting behaviour. Like it’s no big deal. It’s just a failed strategy.

I would swear now, but I don’t want to be suspended from Twitter.

People are dying. 19 in last Sept 23. Albertans have already lost ALL access to emergency healthcare. COVID infected people are being flown across the nation to relieve pressure on the healthcare system.

As this catastrophic failure occurs, premiers are mounting a united front to demand federal healthcare transfers increase with no strings attached. Legault has outright stated he does not believe Quebec should follow the Canada Health Act requirements for funding.

Premiers are demanding federal government capitulate all authority and just hand over the money. They are trying to force a meeting with feds before the speech from the throne.

This is an attempted mutiny to permit private healthcare.

Fuck I hate being right all the time! I’ve never felt more like a Cassandra than at this moment. FFS Canada! Wake the FUCK UP!

Left and right libertarians are premiers in BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB & NS.

That’s 8/10 provinces that are in mutiny against federal power.

Power & Politics host is oblivious or complicit by offering a platform for those promoting the legitimacy of a conservative takeover of federal authority with no mention of the fact O’Toole & Kenney (probably all 8 premiers) conspired to minimize their inadequate covid strategy.

And now these libertarian premiers are conspiring to handcuff or remove federal authority to ensure appropriate medical care is consistently offered across the nation.

The public is oblivious, completely ignoring Alberta’s disaster and its almost complete loss of healthcare.

Physicians are literally begging for help to address the crisis. Hours ago it was 5 admissions away from triage; when physicians must decide who is left to die because the resources to assist them do not exist. It might have been sooner, but 19 people died, freeing up beds.

It remains an entirely preventable catastrophe that was concealed and ignored to aid O’Toole to get elected.

If you aren’t terrified knowing that, you’re a fool.

Blaine Higgs is on CBC promoting provincial rights to self determine their own healthcare structure.

NB is the province that tried to eliminate access to abortion by defunding it. LPC is addressing the absence of abortion access in NB. Their only tool to do this is to attach strings to the funds transferred to NB for healthcare.

That’s why premiers are refusing strings.

But of course no journalist spells out these details. It’s just presented as a jurisdictional squabble. But it’s not just a squabble, it’s an attempt to overturn the Canada Health Act, but still receive an increase in the transfer of federal tax healthcare dollars to provinces.

When healthcare was made universal in late 1960’s, there was a groundswell of public support for universal care. The public demanded it.

The caveat (strings) feds attached for paying 50% of healthcare was that feds set the standard of care to ensure consistency across Canada.

In 1977, EPF Act separated the transfers from federal control of the terms and conditions to be met. Provinces received per capita transfers & made allocations. Ottawa reduced federal taxes to permit raising provincial taxes.

Provinces began allowing extra fees & private care.

The Canada Health Act came in 1984 and reimposed terms and conditions. This Act strengthened the concept of universal healthcare and provided some latitude in provincial allocation of transfers.

Policy restricted private healthcare on the condition of federal transfers.

There have been criticisms.

Abortion is not consistently available to urban and rural women. And some provinces have such limited options for abortion that it’s effectively been delisted as a medical procedure.

Oral care, LTC and pharmacare, are not covered.

As well, many provincial premiers have increased private healthcare options using public tax dollars to pay for private services and to permit extra billing. Undermining equal access universal healthcare.

This the desire for Feds to bring money and strings.

The concept of Ottawa paying a portion of healthcare costs was to ensure every resident of Canada had access to universal care. That every patient was equal in value and those needing healthcare most received care first. The ability to pay didn’t allow patients to jump the queue.

But that’s currently threatened by a cabal of libertarian premiers who have taken it upon themselves to rewrite the contract with Ottawa and demand federal tax dollars without strings and the intent to create two tiered healthcare, similar to the US model.

Pandering to the wealthy & well to do who don’t consider themselves equal to the average Canadian.

One might say premiers were elected with this mandate. I live in Alberta. That wasn’t a 2019 UCP platform.

Also premiers don’t choose federal mandates. The electorate does.

The electorate just chose preservation of universal healthcare.

The LPC mandate includes ensuring national LTC standards are developed. LPC has identified issues in reporting and have identified private healthcare seeking to replace public healthcare.

Canada is in the middle of a deadly covid disaster in AB & SK. During the first wave of the pandemic, ON & QC required the army to assist with LTC and many died. Not from covid, from starvation, dehydration, or infected bed sores from sitting in excrement for days.

BC & MB premiers have made big mistakes too acting to slow or opening too fast.

But they want transfers without conditions.

Who would give Moe & Kenney billions with zero conditions? Both need an inquiry to determine if they killed people protecting O’Toole’s votes.

This libertarian BS needs to be stopped.

And the progressive public can stop it by rejecting federal transfers with no conditions attached.

We don’t care what you rich donors want to make healthcare better for them and worse for us.

Let PMJT know you want universal healthcare preserved. Yes that means NDP supporters and Liberals.

Premiers who want to refuse conditions have no intention of developing national LTC standards, expand mental healthcare, include dental or pharmacare.

But they do intend to expand private healthcare using public tax dollars and leave those who can’t afford to pay extra billing in the lurch.

Remember it’s the people who have the power to influence federal spending. Not oligarchs, not plutocrats and not premiers.

@threadreaderapp please compile