All three Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) candidates at the Western Standard Debate want to reopen the Canada Health Act (CHA) to make it easier for private health care services..Jean Charest clarified he wants the private service to happen within the single-payer system and not allow provinces the option of creating a two-payer system. .“I would table a new Canada Health Act that would untie the hands of the provinces and allow them to innovate and experiment. Allow them to clearly use private system delivery in a single-payer system, which is done to a certain degree in different places,” said Charest..Roman Baber wants to add more private delivery of health services, but not a two-tier system..“I would like to encourage further private delivery of healthcare within a single-payer system. It is important to acknowledge the private market is able to accomplish things a lot better, a lot quicker than the monstrosity of bureaucracy in Ontario’s government,” said Baber..“(Ontario) has more healthcare bureaucrats than family physicians across the province and that’s why I’m very bullish on the ability of the market to provide another solution inside the single-payer system.”.Charest said the Canadian healthcare system is broken and Canada spends way more than other countries without equivalent results..“I would do it because our healthcare system is broken. And it was before COVID. And it's even worse now by any given matrix. If you look at the matrix of healthcare in this country, we're paying much more than the average country.”.The larger issue for Charest is the funding because originally the federal and provincial governments agreed to a 50/50 split. .“The larger issue is federal funding. The federal government has to increase their funding and I would sit down with the provinces to see how we do that,” said Charest..“I would increase funding and how we do that and at what rate is something to discuss with the provinces.”.Scott Aitchison wants to add more private services and increase federal funding to the original 50% but did not specify a timeline..“Canadian healthcare is broken,” said Aitchison. .Charest wants to keep the Liberals and NDP plan of dental and Pharma care as a separate issue from the reopening of the Canada Health Act..“Two different things,” said Charest.
