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President Obama used the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times to make his case for reforming the private insurance based healthcare system. While US Americans are fighting over a public option to our privatized healthcare, our neighbors to the North are fighting a reverse battle: the move to privatize the Canadian public health care system introduced in 1966 and referred to by Canadians as the third rail spanning the country. The battle to privatize is being led by Roubert Ouellet, president of the Canadian Medical Association. However, a new poll conducted by Nanos Research of Toronto, shows that 86 percent of Canadians support strengthening their existing public health care rather than changing to a private for-profit service. Another report recently released by the government entitled, “Health Canadians – A Federal Report on Comparable Health Indicators” substantiates the poll by citing their findings that 85 percent of Canadians are very satisfied (or somewhat satisfied) with public services rendered. Angered by what they see as unjustified attacks on their public health care system by US Americans, Canadians are now striking back.

GUEST: Michael McBane, National Coordinator of the Canadian Health Coalition