SASKATOON – Prime minister Jean ChrŽtien came out strongly in favor of medicare during a speech to 700 Liberal party supporters here Oct. 11.
The prime minister pledged the permanent financial support of the federal government but said plans are to reduce the amount Canadians spend on medicare to between 8.5 and nine percent of gross domestic product from the current 10 percent.
He told the mainly partisan crowd at the $250-a-plate dinner that as long as he was prime minister there would not be two types of citizens in Canada, “one when you are sick and another that is healthy.”
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Criticizing the American system, where “there are 30 million people that aren’t covered (by medicare),” he said U.S. citizens spend 15 percent of their GDP on health care.
“GM, Ford, Chrysler spend more money for medical insurance (in the U.S.) for their employees than for the steel in their cars,” he said referring to the Canadian medicare system as just “one more factor that makes us competitive.
“I don’t want to see Canadians losing their homes just because they are sick and they failed to pay a premium,” said ChrŽtien.
