(September 27, 2015)<\/p>\n
By Neil Bowen, Sarnia Observer<\/p>\n
Wednesday\u2019s scheduled candidates\u2019 debate over health care might not be so much about what the candidates say as about the candidate who has already said she won\u2019t attend.<\/p>\n
Sarnia-Lambton Conservative candidate Marilyn Gladu has stated she won\u2019t be attending the meeting, scheduled for Sarnia library auditorium from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Candidates who have said they will be attending are the NDP\u2019s Jason McMichael, the Liberals\u2019 Dave McPhail and the Greens\u2019 Peter Smith.<\/p>\n
Shirley Roebuck, of the Sarnia-Lambton Health Coalition, is one of the evening\u2019s organizers. She said with the right to vote comes a responsibility, and voters ought to hear each party\u2019s position on health care.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an election issue that touches everyone,\u201d said Roebuck.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Gladu said while she would be attending most of the scheduled candidates\u2019 debates and meetings, she wouldn\u2019t be attending the health care discussion because health care, although partly funded by the federal government, is a provincial issue.<\/p>\n
But Roebuck, in a letter to the Sarnia Observer a few days after Gladu\u2019s comments, said the federal government is directly responsible for providing health care services for First Nations peoples, for Canadian veterans, for refugees, for the RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government upholds the Canada Health Act, which guarantees access to health care for all Canadians,\u201d Roebuck wrote. \u201cIt has the responsibility of maintenance for the Canada Health Accord, a treaty signed by all of the provinces and the federal government.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her letter, Roebuck said the prime minister has refused to meet with the provinces to negotiate a continuation of the Canada Health Accord, which Roebuck said would guarantee a fair funding formula for public health care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also organizing Wednesday\u2019s meeting is Local 19 of the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) and the Sarnia-Lambton Chapter of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO).<\/p>\n
Roebuck said Saturday that the three groups coming together on Wednesday shows the importance of the health care issue, especially in light of the Oct. 19 federal election.<\/p>\n
She said those who attend the meeting should be able to learn more about the issues and therefore be better informed.<\/p>\n
Roebuck said each speaker will have five minutes for opening comments, followed by questions from the floor.<\/p>\n
Citizens can also present questions in writing to the moderator prior to the meeting opening.<\/p>\n