Bill 60 will see healthcare cost more, deliver less, and the difference will go to the shareholders: Stiles

Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles continues to push back on recent changes allowing more private delivery of publicly-funded surgeries and procedures, suggesting the province is prioritizing private clinic shareholders over its own citizens.

It has to do with Bill 60, the ‘Your Health Act’, which Ontario’s progressive conservative government passed on Monday expanding private service delivery in what it says is a bid to tackle lengthy wait lists.

“This bill is opening Ontario up to privatized healthcare in a big way,” said Stiles. “This is going to be the beginning of the introduction of private, for-profit clinics doing different kinds of surgeries and stuff we’ve never seen in for-profit clinics.”

Stiles went on to suggest it will see healthcare in Ontario cost more but deliver less, with the difference going to private clinic shareholders.

“What we’ve seen happen in other jurisdictions is that more of our public healthcare dollars go to shareholder pockets, to their profits, to their businesses, and that’s money that doesn’t go to patient care.” she said. “So it’s going to cost our province more and, also, we’ve seen in other jurisdictions the quality of care declines.”

On top of not being in the best interest of Ontario or Ontarians, the opposition leader said more privatization is also not something she believes most people in the province actually want.

“We don’t believe in a system where, if you have more money, you get bumped to the front of the line or you get a better quality of care,” Stiles continued. “That’s not what our country has founded our medical system on and, I believe, that’s not what Ontarians want to see today.”

The question then becomes why the province would move ahead with it anyway.

“The government wants to do this because it’s going to mean some of the private companies that I think, frankly, support them are going to make some money off of this,” Stiles said.

She also said she’s skeptical of provincial promises protections will be added to prevent issues like up-selling and paying for priority.

“Let’s be honest, we’ve seen Doug Ford and the conservatives break their promises to Ontarians a number of times just recently,” said Stiles, referencing recent changes to the green belt as well as the healthcare issue itself.

“The premier said, repeatedly, that he wasn’t going to privatize healthcare,” she said. “He’s said that in elections, he’s said that between elections, and here we are. So, I’m afraid I don’t trust Doug Ford.”