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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday October 4, 2008 - 9 Halton Candidates respond to health care question As part of its election coverage, The Oakville Beaver will be asking each of the candidates in the Oakville (See Oakville Beaver, Friday, Oct. 3) and Halton ridings to respond to a weekly question. This week's question is: What will your party do to ensure that Halton residents will receive affordable, accessible and quality health care in the future? Amy Collard -- Green Robert Wagner--NDP Federal government funding for health care for Ontarians is short of the mark. Funding needs to be proportionate with need and Halton's need is accelerating more quickly than funding. Amy Collard Halton cannot afford to wait for access to health care. We need a sustainable health care system now. The Green Party will provide funding so that hospitals are fully utilized, diagnostic equipment is updated and more doctors and nurses receive training. In addition, we will also rebuild hospital capacity and make better use of it by increasing the availability of long-term-care facilities, as well as in Lisa Raitt -- Conservatives Until recently, Canadians' most important concern about health care was wait times for critical surgeries. People were waiting far too long, not just to receive surgical care, but even to meet with a specialist. When the Conservative government took office, Prime Minister Harper made wait times a top priority. Lisa Raitt This government achieved important gains for Canadian patients. Patient Wait Time Guarantee agreements were signed with all provinces and territories. In addition, we provided $612 million in new funding, to help provinces reduce patient wait times. As a result, the situation is now turning around. Under the previous Liberal government, health care funding was cut, while patient wait times almost doubled. But the Conservative government has made historic increases in health funding, and wait times for Canadian patients are finally getting shorter. Another Conservative priority has been modernizing our health care system in a way that will save lives, while also saving money. We have invested $400 million into the Canada Health Infoway, to develop electronic health records. This initiative will reduce medical errors, leading to better health outcomes and lower costs. Garth Turner -- Liberals There's one overriding problem here. Not enough doctors. Newcomers can go months without finding primary care, and good luck to those long-time residents whose physician retires or moves out of town. This is because Canada's not training enough doctors and nurses, and too often those we Garth Turner do graduate end up in specialized medicine in big city offices. We need to immediately find ways of increasing the numbers of those who will serve communities, and this is the logic behind the Liberals' Doctors and Nurses Fund. It will channel new millions into forgiving the student debt of medical graduates who agree to move into under-serviced communities, such as those in Halton. But that's not all we require. Too often expensive drugs for cancer, heart disease and other catastrophic drugs are not covered fully under the provincial health plan. This is a particular burden for seniors, and those on fixed incomes, which is why Liberals will also work with the provinces on a new catastrophic drug plan. Finally, the provinces themselves ­ the front line providers of heath care ­ need to be treated fairly. The Harper government's been roundly criticized for not giving Ontario the same per-capita funding as other regions in The people who have been running Ottawa have long promised to reduce the waiting times for health care. They didn't. And today, five million Canadians do not have a family doctor. Too many of them are here in Robert Wagner Halton. It's time for a change on health care. We must improve health care so noone in Halton is left behind. We must be innovative. Jack Layton and the New Democrats will improve health care to give you timely access to primary care health professionals. New Democrats will reduce wait times by training and hiring more nurses and doctors. We will invest in innovation, and share best practices. See Amy page 10 See Robert page 10 See Lisa page 10 See Garth page 10 Live your dream. UNLOCK your RRSP or RRIF Dollars FREE Breakfast Buffet Did you know moving money from your RRSP or RRIF to a Limited Partnership can offset taxes using specific provisions within the Income Tax Act?* Come and see how this tax planning strategy could work for you. Andrew Blanchard, MBA, CFP, CIM, FCSI, EPC Investment Advisor Call 905-847-7777 H EAR AN DR EW'S TOP TE N BOT TOM P ICK S FOR 200 9! *Subject to financial planning assessment and minimum income requirements.