Say "eh" (and carry a rainbow stethoscope)
from 365gay.comOntario's health minister says gays and lesbians in the medical field should consider moving to Canada. George Smitherman touted the province to delegates at the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association's annual conference in Montreal.
Most of those attending the convention were American, and in a keynote address the openly gay cabinet minister said that doctors dissatisfied with life in the US should think about a move - especially if they want to marry.
"Many of you work in States where progress of this type is measured in baby steps at best, and sometimes not at all," Smitherman said.
"And some of you live and work in States where the fight is actually not to lose ground. And yet you keep at it, day in, day out, and for that you have my gratitude, my respect, and my undying admiration."
" ...thousands of gay couples have been married in Canada, happily and proudly joining the millions of other couples in this country and around the world who have come together in love and ask nothing more than society’s blessing of that union," Smitherman said.
"In Canada we do bless that union, regardless of the sexual orientation of the people involved, and that is something that gives me a tremendous amount of pride in my country.
"The only barrier that exists to my getting married lies in my convincing someone to marry me, and I suppose it would be unreasonable of me to look for my government’s help on that one."
The Ontario Medical Association recently said that the province is short some 2,000 qualified doctors.
While doctors' salaries are controlled by the province, Smitherman said that medical practice costs are considerably lower than in the US making incomes of Canadian doctors similar to those of Americans.
"We're open for business," declared Smitherman.
"In Canada our values as a nation help define our values in health care," he told the convention.
"Our laws have equality as an absolute foundational value, and thus our publicly-driven health care system respects and reflects that same value.
"Our system of Medicare is built around the notion - and many of us in this country regard it as more of a tenet than a simple notion - that everybody is entitled to first class health care. Everybody."
Following the speech a number of doctors and nurses approached Smitherman to enquire about immigration law and practice requirements.
Comments
Wait times have grown and there is pressure from, some would say greedy, doctors to set up a parallel private system for those who can pay. A recent decision by the Supreme Court has somewhat paved the way for that. It remains to be seen if the Canadian healthcare system will survive to benefit "everybody" or if it will deteriorate into two systems - one for the rich and one for the rest.
Those who say the one can exist without detrimentally affecting the other fail to take into account that one pernicious word introduced earlier -- greed. Tommy Douglas is turning in his grave.