Why Hard-Nosed Harper Will Get No Votes from this MS Family - Two Reasons: One Personal, One Public
FIRST REASON. There continues this terrible discrimination against Canadian citizens who are also diagnosed with MS by the so-called Harper government.
Medical history was made on Nov. 19, 2009 with a medical breakthrough announcement that the majority of MS patients also exhibited restricted blood flow to the brain because of venous irregularities. It was termed CCSVI (Chronic Cerebral Spinal Venous Insufficiency). A current of hope instantly galvanized the MS community who had no other recourse except expensive drugs with side-effects and terrible life-long debilitation. Worldwide studies and impressive results energized ongoing research and treatment to open up these vein constrictions and challenged the 50 year old auto-immune theory. Except in Canada alongside the MS Society.
Approximately 10,000 Canadians found themselves going abroad spending $10,000 or more to get this kind of balloon angioplasty to improve their blood flow and MS symptoms in many dramatic cases. The same walk-in clinic operation in Canada would have cost $1500 (approx) which was done commonly enough for other people with similar problems. However, if you also had MS, like a brand on your arm, there was no intervention because the Conservatives said Canadian doctors had to do their own long term studies thereby thumbing their noses at international expertise and progress.
Every Conservative MP was informed with substantial information including the latest articles, vascular surgeons’ statements, letters, testimonials and recommendations to abide by the Physicians’ Code of Ethics. Several presentations were made in Parliament. The Conservative Health Minister, with no medical training, responded with form letters stating that the Canadian Health Research Institute filled with neurologists and the odd pharmaceutical rep would pass their status quo judgments. The MS Society, filled with many non-medical personnel, gave lip service to more imaging studies of blocked veins without any treatment and crying out the excuse, “there is not enough evidence.” This was a scientific facade and an obvious affront to long suffering MS patients who keenly wanted the simple procedure and equal rights to a second opinion and health care choice and freedom.
Where were the Conservatives when our families needed them? What kinds of obfuscations and financial objectives were set where as fiscal managers they would rather use Medicare Plan funds to pay as much as $40,000 a year for MS drugs per patient for life, with limited results and unlimited side effects?
SECOND REASON.
Stephen Harper has shown arrogance and lack of compassion in other ways. His minority government was brought down by a lack of confidence motion for disrespecting Canadian democracy and treating parliament with contempt. Dare I say, he also treated MS patients undemocratically and disrespectfully?
He seems to think he can bypass constitutional conventions where his ministers feel they can withhold information and mislead elected representatives. His so-called Integrity Commissioner was so inept that she failed to uphold a single one of more than 200 whistle-blowing complaints. Forced out of office by the ensuing public outcry, she was awarded a $500,000 severance package on condition that neither she nor the government talk about it
It has been reported that Harper has silenced civil servants and diplomats, published guidelines on how to disrupt hostile parliamentary committees, and suppressed research that contradicts his particular policies. Civil society groups that criticise any government policy risk loss of funding and hostile takeovers by boards stacked with pro-government lobbyists.
He now is asking for our vote. He will receive what he has given…nothing from this family.
My vote will be cast for the party and the individuals who have shown clarity and accountability for their constituents. They have responded to our letters and opened their minds and hearts to the plight of the MS citizens against too many hard-nosed, double-speaking, medically disrespectful Conservatives. My hope is that they never get the misfortune of walking in MS shoes although their “brain fog” is questionable...even though they repress our hopes in their mean fists and blocked minds.
My vote is for a true Health Minister with a medical background, like Dr. Duncan.
.