, < s 2 1 ¢ — ~ 3 2 % \! THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER PAGE 6 der. The following are his charges and Mr. MacEachen’s replies: 1. The medicare legislation contains no provision for building and remodelling hos- pitals. A: “The medical care pro- gram was never meant to provide assistance in this area. This has been and is being done through other channels, as Dr. Melvin well knows. “Since 1948, the federal Government has provided ~ close to $300 million for hos- pital construction under the Hospital Construction Grants program. This includes, a year ago, a grant of $1,285,300 for Searboro General Hospital where Dr. Melvin is staff member. “Federal grants have been matched or more by other sources, including provincial governments. ; “Tn addition, Mr. MacEKach- en noted, Ottawa has contri- buted almost $3 billion toward - hospital operating costs since inception of the hospital in- surance program in 1958.” 2. Medicare makes no pro- vision for training of health personnel. A: “This, also, is quite true, but again medicare was never meant to take care of this ee “Through the $500 million health resources fund, which began in 1966, the: federal Government pays 50 per cent of the capital cost of facilities for training doctors, nurses and other health personnel. “Under the post-secondary education assistance program, Ottawa pays 50 per cent of the operating costs of institutions of higher learning, including those that train health per- '. sonnel. This costs the federal - Government about $350 mil- lion a year through tax trans- fer arrangements with the provinces, “The Medical Research Council contributes $20,500,- 000 a year, the Health De- partment provides $4,500,000 in health research grants and the Defense Research Boards adds $500,000.” 3. Medicare does not assist doctors to establish them- selves in remote areas or dis- tribute them across provinces. A: “The legislation makes it possible for provinces to subsidize doctors in remote areas and the federal Govern- ment will contribute to this cost. “Also, the medicare pro- gram will enable doctors to practice in smaller communi- ties and rural areas and still be assured of an adequate income.” 4. There was a lack of con- sultation before medicare was brought in. A: “Medicare was the sub- ject of at least eight federal- provincial ministerial confer- ences from 1965 on, supple- mented by numerous meet- ings at the official level.” 5. The government does not have a mandate from the peo- ple to introduce medicare. A: “I would note that in the 1965 federal election cam- paign both the two major par- ties and the New Democratic Party included comprehen- i Government - sponsored their official programs. other words, approximately 90 per cent of the members elect- ed to Parliament in 1965 were elected on programs that in- cluded medicare. “T would also note that when the medicare legislation was before Parliament it was passed with only two dissent- ing votes. In fact, during the debate on this legislation the opposition parties, including the official Opposition (Con- servatives), voted on three separate occasions for amend- ments which would have had the effect of restoring the July 1, 1967, starting date.” Mr. MacEachen concluded his reply by siating that the purpose of medicare is to en- sure that financial considera- tions do not bar any Canadian from medical attention in time to prevent more serious ill- ness. The present federal medi- care legislation was adopted in the House of Commons in December 1966 by a vote of RE, SIR..NOBODY WANTS MEDICARE BUT THE PEOPLE!” : ; 177 to 2. All parties minus two Social Credit members voted for it. The act was to be effective “MEDICAL PROFESSION IN DARK AGES" July 1, 1967, but was post- poned a year on the insistence of federal finance minister Mitchell Sharp. © isfaction. investment. SICK MEN PRODUCE LITTLE WEALTH “Taken together, the hundreds of plans now operated by private insurance companies, medical organizations and provincial governments represent an inefficient, ex- pensive, non-comprehensive and usually non-portable patchwork quilt that leaves uncovered many people who need it most and covers hardly anyone to his entire sat- “To provide a comprehensive national program will cost somewhat more than we are now spending on med- ical bills and insurance premiums. Estimates of the extra cost range from $80 million to $150 million a year. “That amount is the measure of health needs fulfilled by the present non-system. “When the Ottawa Civic Hospital, for example, says that medicare will create a large increase in the demand for medical services, what it is really saying is that there now exists a large requirement for treatment which is not met because some of us cannot afford it, “Certainly a program as important as medicare pre- sents governments with difficult fiscal problems. We have it, however, on the authority of the Hall royal com- mission and of the Economic Council of Canada that the country can afford this program. Indeed, the Hall com- mission thought that national medicare would be a sound “Tf the hard-boiled approach is in fashion, let’s remem- ber that sick men produce little wealth.” —Christopher Young in Ottawa Citizen, January 26, 1968. un- WELDWOOD PROFITS UP 50% Weldwood of Canada, the company Interior operators claimed would go broke for giving its Quesnel employees wage parity with coastal woodworkers, reported a fifty percent increase in profits for 1957. In a preliminary statement, the company said sales reach- ed a high of $113,993,215, up 10 per cent over the previous year. Net earnings after in- come taxes and preference share dividends were $2,296,- 044 or 76 cents a share com- pared with $1,575,615 or 52 cents for 1966. President Roger Montgom- ery said the upward trend in the second half of 1967 came from improved domestic and export lum ber markets, in- creased residential construc- tion and company - wide im- provements in operating effi- ciencies. Montgomery said the com- pany expects the upward trend in sales and earnings to continue if the present cost- price ratio can be maintained. Optimism is based on the fed- eral government’s indication that the tempo of residential construction will be sustained to meet objectives set last summer by the Economic Council of Canada. vig ve i 3 a . { ey Aes, Hewers of Wood . and: drawers of water (JOSHUA 1X, 21) brought up-to-date by D AY T 0 IN THE BIG NAME IN BOOTS ARITSTRY IN TAINS LEATHER S ~ area eS = at K ASR SUM ECACALDICS NUT NY Ray eee