Scary Alberta Health Care Reform

Scary Alberta Health Care Reform

Yesterday, Premier Ralph Klein released the report detailing the changes to funding for health care in this province. Some good points, some that will not fly.

These scary changes include adding $700 million to the health care budget, and raising provincial income taxes.

BOO!

Did you jump, Ontario? Is it the end of health care in Canada? Would a "scary" Stephen Harper have "dismantled" your health-care system, just like Ralph Klein is doing in Alberta?

Make no mistake, Ralph Klein is going to get a thrashing at the polls in the provincial election this fall. Most of this stuff will get implemented anyhow, but he gave the CBC and the Liberal party ammunition in the federal election, a chance to connect Alberta-boy Klein with Alberta-boy Harper and demonize both. All this over a report Harper hadn't even seen and which isn't provincial Progressive-Conservative party policy yet anyhow.

Note that the provincial Progressive-Conservative party and the national Conservative party are entirely separate entities. So PC party policy cannot be considered Conservative policy. In Ontario, provincial Liberal party policy is clearly separate from federal Liberal party policy; Ontario voters are smart enough to separate the two parties, even though they have the same name.

But Ralph is toast for more than that; he is leaning too far left for Albertans. A party will come up to the right of the PCs in this election - and it may be a separatist party.