Take action to protect public health care

1. Sign the Profit is Not the Cure petition. The Council of Canadians will be collecting signatures from across the country from people who believe that there is no room for profit in our health care system. We are calling on the federal government to work with provinces to reduce wait times through innovations in the public system and not through unaccountable private, for-profit clinics and insurance. When signing the petition, you will also have the option to hook into the Profit is Not the Cure network, and get regular updates and action ideas to help protect our national medicare program.

2. Send a letter to Prime Minister Harper and Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. Many provinces have proposed changes to health care delivery that will result in the expansion of privatization initiatives like private insurance and the use of private, for-profit clinics to provide services. By using our automatic e-mail function, you will be able to send a letter, with your own comments attached, directly to Prime Minister Harper and Minister Clement opposing these proposals.

3. Fight back against Dr. Profit! Dr. Brian Day is a private clinic owner and a vocal promoter of for-profit health care. Dr. Day, also known as “Dr. Profit” will continue to push the privatization agenda through the media and by lobbying provincial and federal governments. You can counter his pro-privatization message by telling your provincial and federal government representatives that Dr. Day does not represent what Canadians want for their public health care system. Talk to your own doctor about your concern for public health care and urge them to get involved with the CMA, or groups like Canadian Doctors for Medicare.

4. Tell us your stories. Have you experienced for-profit health care, either here in Canada or in another country? Have you had a good experience in the public system? Do you want to share your thoughts about why medicare should be protected? Click here to send us a short e-mail and tell us about it, and we will post some of the messages on this site.

   If you have experienced a Canada Health Act violation and wish to file a complaint, you may contact your provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Canada Health Act Division of Health Canada (click here for more information) and help protect medicare.

5. Get others to join the campaign. Do you have friends, family and colleagues who are also concerned about the state of our public health care system? Click here to send them this link and encourage them to sign our petition and join with people across Canada in the Profit is Not The Cure campaign.

6. Write a letter to the editor. Take a couple of minutes and write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper and tell them why profit is not the cure. Use information from our fact sheets to present a strong, concise argument that there are ways to fix our health care system through public, non-profit means.

7. Get involved in a local health care campaign. Most communities across Canada have either a local health coalition, a Council of Canadians chapter, or another organization that is working to protect public health care. Click here for a list of local health coalitions, and here for a list of Council chapters across Canada, or call 1-800-387-7177 for more information. Local organizations are a great way to share information and materials, and to plan local events to engage and inform the broader public.

8. Contact your Member of Parliament. It is the federal government’s responsibility to enforce the Canada Health Act and protect our national medicare program from privatization and for-profit ventures. Contact your MP today and tell him/her that you oppose health care privatization, and that you want them to work with the provinces to stop the expansion and reduce the role of for-profit health care in Canada's medicare system.

9. Hand out leaflets. Print out materials from this website, and drop them in your neighbours’ mailboxes, or visit a busy area with lots of pedestrians and pass them around. You can also drop copies off in hospitals or doctors’ offices waiting rooms. Handing out leaflets is a great way to get the message out, and encourage more people to join the campaign.

10. Join the Council of Canadians. The strength of the Council is in its membership. The Council does not accept funding from corporations or from governments, so membership donations are vital to our activities. We work with community groups, seniors, students, unions and other organizations across the country to promote progressive policies on public health care, fair trade, clean water and other issues of social and economic concern to Canadians.

To find out more about the Council of Canadians, and to become a member, visit our website at www.canadians.org, or call us toll free at 1-800-387-7177.

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