"Mr. Romanow has examined the empty rhetoric of the free-market ideologues and provincial politicians, and has proven that privatization will destroy, not improve our system," says Maude Barlow, Council chairperson and author of the book, "Profit is not the cure".

"Mr Romanow has a solid plan to build upon Canada’s effective and cherished public health care system. He has examined the facts and demonstrated that the way forward is to expand the public health system and reject the right wing provincial governments’ plans to open our system to giant health corporations."

Colleen Fuller, a health care researcher and Council Board Member read the full report in the lock up this morning. "I am very impressed with the comprehensiveness of the Commission’s work. It is crucial that government adopt the recommendations to expand its role and financial support for the public system and expand services in diagnostic, primary care, home care and drugs."

However, while the body of the report addresses many crucial issues facing our health care system, Fuller believes many of the recommendations do not go far enough. "Romanow comes out against the ideology of greed represented by for-profit delivery, but it's nowhere in the recommendations. We need to be very concerned that the Liberal government will increase funding for health care but will then allow the provinces to pour that money into private health care delivery."

"Canadians must be ready to speak out over the coming months to assure that the Liberal government will stand up to the corporate lobby and adopt the Romanow recommendations," says Council Health Campaigner, Anil Naidoo. "We must also block every attempt to include health care in the current trade negotiations in the FTAA and the WTO, and must convince the government to adopt recommendation 44 that would prevent trade agreements from allowing foreign corporations to sue us for our national health system."

The Council of Canadians along with many partner organizations will be hosting a national forum on health care in Ottawa, February 7 – 9, 2003 to continue the efforts to improve our public health care system.