Although we share a border and a long history with one of the largest countries in the world, there are times when we really wonder about our neighbours.
This past week the Supreme Court of the United States came out with a decision that allowed - barely - for the government to continue implementing a new health-care plan. In a 5-4 vote, the court allowed President Barack Obama to continue with his pledge to ensure that Americans can receive health care without losing their life savings. A plan, dare we say, that we in Canada take for granted and consider less than controversial.
The new health-care plan in the U.S. is not even a distant cousin of Canada's Medicare. Private insurers are still essentially in charge of the U.S. system - but now they have to abide by some rules such as providing health insurance to people with pre-existing conditions. The fact that U.S. citizens actually allowed insurance companies to stop insuring kids with disabilities, cancer survivors and those with chronic conditions still boggles the mind.
And, to be sure, the court did not make its decision on what we might consider moral principles. It did so on a technicality - labelling the assessment for health care as a tax, and therefore in the government's power to impose.
This past weekend we celebrated Canada's 145th birthday. It was also Saskatchewan's 50th anniversary of the introduction of Medicare.
Universal health care may have its limitations, but the principle that health care is a Canadian right and not a company's right to profit from is not only a compassionate moral position, but also one that makes sense for our society. We are all connected - whether we like it or not. After the Supreme Court's decision, some Americans said they were going to protest by leaving the U.S. and relocating to Canada. Please, spare us.
