Dr Lyle Oberg |
Who: Dr Clifford Blais
Party: Liberal Party of Canada
Backgrounder: Montreal GP Clifford Blais has
a formidable goal. The 49-year-old wants nothing short
of the Liberal Party of Canada's top job. And though
his name may not be as well known as the likes of Michael
Ignatieff, Stéphane Dion and Ken Dryden, the
good doctor believes he has what it takes to cure the
country's medical and constitutional ailments. "Stephen
Harper is why I'm running," says Dr Blais. "I looked
at his ego and the way he has done things and I decided
that I had to run."
During the last election, Dr Blais
worked as a volunteer on Paul Martin's campaign. He
saw Mr Harper's victory — and Mr Martin's subsequent
departure as the chief Liberal — as a danger to
Canada. He says Mr Harper has dangerously regressive
views on issues like women's rights and gay marriage.
"I don't want to come back to the debates we had in
the 70s," he says.
DR
BLAIS' PLAN
In terms of healthcare, Dr Blais says it's time to allow
for more privatization. He believes it will help keep
doctors in Canada, free up the public system of perpetual
backlog and let doctors make better use of OR times.
"I know doctors who are basically begging for operating
time, and they can't get it," says Dr Blais. "Hospitals
could easily rent their facilities during the off-hours."
He also wants to tackle the Canada
Health Act. "In Canada, we basically have a communist
medical system, with only one provider. When that only
provider cannot provide all the necessary services to
its clients in a timely manner, we have a problem. As
it is, the system is barely holding together."
As for the country's constitutional
woes, Dr Blais, a firm believer in provincial rights,
offers the following tonic: the Liberals need only stick
to federal matters as laid out in confederation. A former
member of the Parti Québécois, Dr Blais says
his sovereigntist credentials have helped him understand
how Canada can properly work. "The Liberals have to
stop saying that Canada needs a strong Ottawa," he says.
"I understand the importance of provincial rights. My
home is Quebec, but my country is Canada."
Who: Dr Lyle Oberg
Party: Progressive Conservative Association of
Alberta
Backgrounder: Dr Lyle Oberg, a Brooks, AB, family
doctor, has spent the last 13 years in the trenches
of provincial politics. The 46-year-old physician has
held three cabinet-level positions within Ralph Klein's
government since taking office in 1993. He had a very
public falling out with Mr Klein last month after he
openly challenged his leadership. He was suspended from
the party and now sits as an independent.
Following King Ralph's announcement
he's stepping down, Dr Oberg declared his intention
to run for leadership of the province's Tory party and
spearhead what he considers to be a crucial step in
Alberta's history: the introduction of private medical
care in the province.
DR
OBERG'S PLAN
Dr Oberg believes the current health system is mired
in bureaucracy and politics, and thinks healthcare mandarins
cling to a romantic (and untenable) idea of socialized
medicine. As an antidote, Dr Oberg suggests what might
be termed 'the Quebec model' of limited private care
anchored by a strong public system. He would also remodel
the management-heavy bureaucracy so that doctors and
nurses would have more input into how the system is
run. "It's not just a question of throwing money at
the problem, it's a question of better care," Dr Oberg
says. "If I want to have a knee replacement next Friday,
because I'll have a week off to recover, I should be
able to pay for that service."
Dr Oberg would see to it that doctors
fulfill a minimum number of hours in the public system
— as is the case in countries like France and Germany.
He also wants to bone up the province's treatment of
chronic diseases, so that patients don't further burden
the public system with complications from not being
properly treated in the first place.
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