Thread by @disorderedyyc

🧵When challenged on paying out of pocket for healthcare, Danielle Smith often brings up the Canada Health Act as a defense.

But Smith is not a fan of the Canada Health Act and has been seeking ways around it.

#ableg #abpoli #abhealth
1/🧵

Danielle Smith contemplates if the Canada Health Act needs to be thrown out due to its principles, such as universality which she argues should not cover all hospital and physician services.
2/🧵

One of the simpler ways for Smith to get around the Canada Health Act is to have a friendly federal government in power.

The next clip is from April 2022 where she is talking with Gordon Tulk, the person who originally gave her the idea of health spending accounts.
3/🧵

Danielle Smith finds the Canada Health Act "so frustrating" because it prevents her from charging for doctor and hospital visits.

"It's one of things I find so frustrating"

Her face lights up when Pierre Poilievre is mentioned as a solution for getting rid of the act.
4/🧵

Another suggested way of getting around the Canada Health Act is to challenge its strings attached funding in court.

In the next clip from April 2022, Smith is complaining about federal daycare funding, and from there they talk about all federal strings attached funding.
5/🧵

Rob Anderson, now executive director of the premier's office, proposes a constitutional challenge to the Canada Health Act's strings attached funding.

Smith: "I'd love to see that, let's try that".
6/🧵

Yet another way is to use an Alberta Revenue Agency to collect all taxes, and hold onto the federal portion as explained in the next clip from April 2022.

The creation of an Alberta Revenue Agency was in the mandate letter to Finance Minister Toews.
open.alberta.ca/dataset/71ebe0…
7/🧵

To combat the federal government from withholding federal transfers, Rob Anderson proposes keeping the federal portion of taxes collected from public employees (and eventually all employees).
8/🧵

Video sources:

2 -
5:45 & 8:19

4 -
1:20:20

6 & 8 -
37:12 & 1:00:10
(This podcast actually happened on April 30, 2022 and was uploaded there later)

9/🧵