Oh yes indeedy.
The Shona Holmes thing? You know, the one whose story changes depending on her audience?
In the commercial she was DYING! In her testimony, not so much.
Most people here are aware of who is funding this Shona dog and pony show, that would be the good ol' Koch industry-John Bircher related Americans for Prosperity. The same astroturf factory that brought you teabagging (Branding FAIL) and Joe teh Plumber.
They are using the name Patients United Now. The only united Patients seem to be those with a huge stake in the Healthcare insurance industry and their other think tank friends. Their language and talking points are directly from Frank Luntz, Cunning Linguist part 2: framing healthcare (My co blogger has an interesting way with words too!)
In Canada, some of us also know what think tanks are supporting Shona Holmes court case to destroy Canadian Healthcare.
They have some big connections, with some very good funding. Last week this was posted here, and crossposted in the Canuckosphere.
The head of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, the group who is bankrolling the current "charter challenge" is headedby a John Carpay.This fellow has lots of connections within the Canadian Conservative/religious right/corporate circles.
Carpay is an old Reform Party [Ultra right wing party, which was consolodated with the other conservative parties a few years back] candidate who moved over to the Alberta branch of the Canadian Taxpayer Federation (CTF provincial directors are, more often than not, retired conservative politicians and party staffers) and then took up the reins at the Canadian Constitution Foundation a couple of years ago. Aside from the Foundation, you can find also his musings at right-wing hangouts like the Frontier Centre, the Fraser Institute, the Canada Family Action Coalition, and the Manning Centre's journal, C2C. (That Carpay's columns, which explicitly identify him as speaking for the Constitution Foundation, would be reproduced in CFAC newsletters seems like it might be a little bit at odds with the Foundation's formal position that it has no opinion on abortion per se, but whatever.)
All the bolded names are far right think tanks.
But you know, this whole deal has outraged many many Canadians. Shona Holmes is one of the most despised people in Canada at the moment, and I think she may have to lie low for a good long while after all this. She won't have very far to go, she did slither out from under a rock.
Dislike of Shona has spawned two Facebook groups, one has a tongue in cheek title, Let's deport Shona Holmes. The other is a tad more serious, and is called Shona Holmes doesn't speak for me.
Letters to the editor are appearing all over the place like this one: Americans hearing only one side of Canada's health-care system and these ones at the Toronto Star,
and these, over a thousand comments on one CBC article, the Insurance shills tried to take over in the comment war, but were outnumbered.
From one of those star links:
Five years ago I was rushed to hospital with severe head pains. A scan revealed a serious life-threatening brain tumour (glioblastoma). So I was immediately admitted to the Trillium Centre in Mississauga where surgery was performed to remove as much of the tumour as possible. After I was released from hospital I was referred to the Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton where I was immediately started on radiation and oral chemotherapy treatment.
The fact that I am alive today is a testament to the prompt, effective, excellent treatment I received under the Canadian health care system.
These are just a few examples.
On the blogs? Oh....The anger is pretty high too. If you want to find more, use "shona Holmes" as a search term on twitter. Twitter is a real battleground right now.
Some of my friends and fellow denizens of the Canuckosphere have written some great things about this:
unrepentant old hippie
Stratosphear
Benediction blogs on
The Gazeteer
Canpolitico
And a post from my co-blogger, who is actually an American living in Canada. What she has to say should speak volumes.
Saturday night healthcare open thread, now with true confessions!
Some may say this is all just a defencive action. Many people are simply exasperated by the lies. I also happen to know that this reaction that is happening is partly from fear. Fear that this whole circus will cause further degradation to our national healthcare system that at least 85% (New numbers are 95%, thanks to Bluesue in the comments) of Canadians treasure.
Fear, because we know the vultures are circling, and have been for years.
Shona Holmes and her think tank buddies have a charter challenge going, as I mentioned before. Basically this is what they are doing:
According to a press conference held this month, the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) is funding a Charter challenge to single tier Public Medicare in Ontario. This group also launched a class action against single tier in Alberta last year. The goal appears to be to extend the Chaoulli decision outside of Quebec –to bring down the ban on two-tiering and to widen the opening for two-tier Medicare, extra-billing, user charges and out-of-pocket payment for medical care.
If they win in court, recall that NAFTA deal? I am going to quote what I said at my own blog on Saturday under the title: The other shoe drops. Healthcare, Shona Holmes and NAFTA
I knew this. I have read it before.
I had just tucked it into the dark recesses of my brain where I tuck all the Boogeymen that truly scare me.
Because this one is very real.
If the CCFand their rich well heeled friends are successful in a Charter Challenge against Healthcare and the Canada Health act, and if two tier is implemented even in a small way.......
Consider the Chaoulli decision, which, in theory, affects only Quebec. The Supreme Court deemed long waiting lists to be a threat to the well-being of citizens and thus, an infringement on their rights. Drawing from examples from France, Sweden and Germany, the Court concluded that the request of appellants Jacques Chaoulli and George Zeliotis to overturn the private insurance ban in Quebec was reasonable given a provincial government's failure to properly address the waiting list problem.
But there is a crucial distinction between Canada and these European countries: they have not signed on to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
When negotiating NAFTA, Canada obtained an exemption (Annex II) aimed at preventing foreign corporations from gaining access to Canada's health care market.
But once health insurance and health delivery are offered in the private system, the exemption for health care services ceases to apply. Health Maintenance Organization (HMOs), large one-stop shopping corporations providing both health insurance and delivery, will be able to enter the Canadian market and compete with the public sector.
Recall the Softwood debacle? The US was keeping millions and millions of dollars aside because they said that Canada was undercutting them on stumpage fees. Ie: not charging enough.
The Governments of Canada would likely be forced to charge the same fees and prices as their American competition and or face massive court challenges.
Welcome to pre existing conditions, $2500 dollar monthly payments, massive deductibles and co-pays!
A popular talking point is that even the Conservatives here in Canada would never dream of touching healthcare!
If this happens as I prophesize, they wouldn't have to do anything. They would throw up their hands and say, Oh, well, we have to honour an agreement with our bestest trading partner. And you all remember that Steve was the head of the National Citizens coalition? The NCC's main reason for being, was to kill the Canada Healthcare act.
Game over.
A trip to Rabble on another bit of research refreshed my memory.
Please pass this on to everyone you know who treasures our healthcare system.
Canada Health Act preamble says:
"that continued access to quality health care without financial or other barriers will be critical to maintaining and improving the health and well-being of Canadians.The primary objective of the Act is "to protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers."
And there is a list of conditions that must be met for the Provinces to maintain funding from the feds.
That preamble is more than a bunch of empty words? To most of us here in Canada, that is the cornerstone of the way we see healthcare.
It is a right, not a privilege.
And Shona and her little friends have stirred up more anger here than they possibly know.
No matter what, Shona Holmes story is an aberration, and Canadians who are normally pretty quiet, are speaking up.
In solidarity with our American friends, many of us are also speaking up for you.