Students for Medicare presents our 4th Annual Conference
Medicare in the Age of Austerity: Solutions for Sustainability
March 31, 2012, 9:30 AM- 2:30 PM
Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil St. (near College and Spadina)
Lunch included! Limited free parking behind building
Cost: Free ($5-10 donation appreciated). Register here
or RSVP by email: studentsformedicare@gmail.com
Background: Last December, the Harper government made far-reaching announcements to limit future growth of the Canada Health Transfers to provincial governments. This month, in Ontario, Premier McGuinty commissioned banker Don Drummond to recommend spending cuts to reduce the $16 billion deficit. Within this budget-cutting climate, how will health care be affected? Most importantly, what are the solutions to make universal healthcare sustainable? Please join Students for Medicare as we explore these questions and look to solutions, not only to sustain, but to improve, the health and well-being of all people residing in Canada.
Preliminary Agenda:
9:30 – 10:00 Registration and Coffee
10:00 – 11:15 Opening Speaker: Dr. Gordon Guyatt
- “The Public Private Debate 101 – and what it means in today’s economic climate.”
11:30 – 12:30 Small Group Sessions
- Participants take part in facilitated roundtable discussions on emerging issues in Canada’s healthcare.
12:30 – 1:30 Lunch
1:30 – 2:15 Keynote Speaker: Armine Yalnizyan, Senior Economist
- An economist’s perspective on cuts and how health care will be affected.
2:15 – 2:30 Closing Remarks
About Students for Medicare: Students for Medicare advocates for maintaining and strengthening a publicly-funded, not-for-profit health care system. We focus on educating our colleagues and the general public on the issues Canada’s health care system faces. We affirm that the solutions lie within the publicly-funded system envisioned by Tommy Douglas and his eventual plan for a second stage of Medicare. We have a strong commitment to equity and addressing the social determinants of health. We are students and practitioners of nursing, midwifery, medicine, public policy, other disciplines, and allies.
