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I doubt many would deny that Canadians have access to excellent doctors and medical treatments, which is reflective of Canada’s average life expectancy. What many Canadians take pride in, is the fact that their healthcare is provided for free by the government. Hence, all Canadians, rich or poor, can be rest assured that they and their family can stay healthy.

Health care is so vital, that many believe it is a service that must be accessible to all, especially in modern democratic societies. While this maybe true, the reality is like everything else in life, free health care comes at a price. Canadian patients must pay the price of time. Whether it is waiting hours in the ER or having to wait 1.5 years to see a specialist, it is quite evident there is a big problem on our hands.

Canadians who uphold our health care system, would argue that its better for everyone to wait, rather than have many without access to health services at all. They often point the finger at the United States, where 15 million Americans are uninsured. Arguably, that is simply unacceptable.

The reality is, the choices that we make are determined by what societies value the most. In terms of healthcare, it comes down to equality vs. efficiency. Canada is far more egalitarian in nature, compared to its southern neighbor. For Canadians, it is better so that everyone has access to health care – even if it means we have to wait.

However, I can’t help but wonder, why despite being one of the most developed countries in the world, Canadians have to make such a difficult choice. Rather than having to pick one or the other, why can’t we have an equal and efficient healthcare system?

Within the past 20 years, Germany has radically reformed their health care system. Private hospitals have grown by 90%. Today, about 33% of hospitals in Germany are for profit. Hence, the Germans have developed a system where both the visible and invisible hand play a role.

Interestingly, we don’t see any of the problems critics claim, where the poor are left sick and untreated.

German statistics have shown that since the increase private hospitals, their health care system has been able to treat patients more effectively and quicker. In addition, no one is left without getting treatment. What about the long wait times in emergency rooms? They don’t exist in Germany.

So this leads me to my point. In a very developed country like Canada, why should we have to make a choice? Its about time that Canadians follow suit in Germany’s path.

I don’t know about you, but I am way too excited for tonight’s debate!!!  So, if you’re on the go like I am today, you can set yourself a reminder and watch it from your smartphone by going to:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ontariovotes2011/story/2011/09/23/ontario-leaders-debate548.html

It runs from 6:30pm to 8:00pm and it’ll be broadcast live by CBC Television (Channel 26 for most of you).

It’s a round-robin style debate tonight, with a total of 6 rounds.

Round 1 starts off with McGuinty vs. Hudak.

Round 2 will be Horwath vs. Hudak.

Round 3 features McGuinty vs. Horwath.

Then we’ll see a repeat of the first three rounds and each leader will have a chance to give a closing statement.

If you’d like to join other Young Liberals tonight to watch the debate, let me know! I’ll send you the details, just send a quick email to community@tcyl.ca

Youth from all over Ontario squeezed themselves into a downtown pub this past Sunday afternoon. Laughter, loud chatter, and smiles filled the room with excitement. The crowd roared as Liberal Leader Premier Dalton McGuinty and his spouse, Terri, made their way into the room – but the applause wouldn’t stop there.

Premier McGuinty began by thanking the youth in attendance for their inspiration, but it was McGuinty who continued to inspire the youth in this pub. He reminded them the importance of making sure that all young people, from all families, all have the opportunity they need – to get the jobs they want to help Ontario build the economy it needs so that we can support great public services like healthcare and education.

McGuinty’s Liberals have already created 200,000 more spaces in post-secondary schools and they’ve increased funding for both universities and colleges. They’ve brought back grants and have put a cap on student debt at $7,300 dollars per year on OSAP loans. McGuinty has the support of youth and this event just proved it even further. He showed his light side and poured beer for some of those who attended, it was a great event!

Check out a video from Sunday afternoon:

Youth Rally in Toronto

From left to right: Michelle, Michael, Paulina and Chris

From left to right: Rona, Chris and Michael

The Ontario provincial candidates have rolled out their education platforms!

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath released the party’s platform at Ryerson University. They’ve not only promised to freeze tuition fees for universities and colleges, but also said they’ll scrap the interest on the provincial portion of student loans. In other words, a program that comes with a hefty price tag of a total of $365 million dollars in its fourth year will only save students a mere $60 dollars per year.

On the other hand, Liberal Leader Premier Dalton McGuinty, has clearly made education a core focus on the campaign trail. Instead of opting for a tuition freeze, the Liberals have promised a 30 per cent reduction in university tuition fees for families earning less than $160,000, and by the way, that would account for more than 80% of students in Ontario. The Liberals would offer a new scholarship grant that would amount to $1,600 per university student and $730 per college student.

Let’s do the math…an average B.A. program is a total of 4 years. Horwath’s plan would include savings  of $240. McGuinty’s plan would save each university student over $6000 and over $2900 for college students.

Let’s give the education the recognition it deserves. It is after all, key for development.

Forward. Together.

The Ontario Liberal platform can be found: here

Like @Dalton_McGuinty’s Facebook page and be the first to get a sneak peek of our platform on Monday! http://www.facebook.com/PremierMcGuinty