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Chrétien Takes Wait & See Attitude on Bill 11
Ryan Stutt
Anyone looking for vocal opposition to Bill 11 from Prime Minister Chrétien during his trip to Calgary was surely disappointed.
The Prime Minister was in Calgary to attend a dinner held in his honour at the Telus Convention Centre on Thursday night. Over 1200 patrons paid $375 per plate for the dinner and to listen to the Prime Minister's speech.
With Federal Health Minister Allan Rock's vocal opposition to Bill 11, which has been viewed as the first step towards privatized health care by many critics, many thought that the Prime Minister's visit would be the beginning of a war of words over the future of health care in Canada.
"I will not comment tonight on Bill 11," said Chrétien, "I have not seen it in it's final form."
Instead, Chrétien backed the idea the coming up with innovative ways to revitalize the health care system, but stayed away from any direct comments on Bill 11.
"Medicare is a monument to our compassion and generosity and is part of who we are." Said Chrétien. "If we have the wit to invent medicare, surely we can find the wills and ways to preserve it."
However, Chrétien did make a foreboding comment regarding medical privatization, signalling that this cease fire in the war of words between Ottawa and Alberta may be a short respite.
"It is therefore essential that nothing be done to open the door to creeping privatization," said Chrétien. "I hope that Premier Klein will agree with what I have just said."
Liberal party members weren't the only ones in attendance at the Prime Minister's dinner.
Over a dozen striking Herald employees handed out information pamphlets to people outside the Convention Centre. Many a horn was honked by cars driving by to the huge banners strikers held up stating "Cancel your Herald" and "Support Herald Strikers".
"We're here to inform the public going to the dinner and the people going by, really it's an information leaflet," said Gordon Christie Executive Secretary with the Calgary and District Labour Council, "we'd dearly love to talk to the prime minister, but I don't think that opportunity is going to arise,"
Union President Andy Marshall was also in attendance, once again trying to get his message of media ownership and worker's rights across to someone in a position to do something about it.
"We have the owner of the Herald of course that has used his newspapers to propagate his views, we've also found out in the last few months how he mistreats his employees and won't negotiate with us," said Marshall, "this is an opportunity to talk to the prime minister because of the issue of newspaper ownership concentration."