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This past weekend I helped man an environmental booth in a US town directly across the strait from Victoria BC. As it turned out, it was Thanksgiving weekend for Canada so we had many day visitors from Victoria.
A very sweet older couple from Victoria stopped at our booth because the man had been a tug captain for barges that delivered chips to the mill site that was the subject of our booth. I could tell he was proud of the work he did and the transnational aspect of his job. It was soon obvious though that he did not want to talk about the site - he wanted to talk about healthcare.
He explained that his daughter was dealing with a complicated and recurring problem with breast cancer. He wanted me to understand that she was receiving quality and timely care for which she would not be charged. He wanted me to know that he and his wife were able to get supplemental insurance for $90-some for three months coverage for the both of them. He wanted me to know that they used to spend winters in Arizona but had to give that up because they could not afford to purchase US health insurance for the months they were there. He wanted me to know that the attacks on the Canadian healthcare system that have been coming from the US were just not true.
My heart sank when I realized that the hideous attacks on the Canadian healthcare system by our politicians, lobbyists and corporations have become the face of America to some in Canada. I tried to explain that those attacks were coming from the insurance companies and not the American people. I said my hope was that the US would find its heart and provide healthcare for all.
After they left our booth, I felt ashamed for this country. These were decent people who had been maligned by a US corporate PR campaign. In no uncertain terms I was shown that the gutter fighting that has become the norm in American politics, has branched out into foreign policy. It is bad enough that America has shown the world its cold heart in our healthcare debate, but to attack other countries like Canada with lies to discredit their attempt to care for all crosses a line.
When all is said and done in our healthcare debate, I hope someone in our government offers an apology to Canada for allowing lies about their system to be broadcast through our media. I hope in the future, when corporations attack any systems of other countries, they be fact checked before they are allowed to air. I hope when such attacks are found to be false, I hope our government denounces them publicly and immediately. Then, maybe such tactics will stop instead of escalate.
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