Making health a commodity

Dear sir:
The late Tommy Douglas was the father of medicare when he introduced it in Saskatchewan. His budget targeted 70 percent of health care.
The Liberal government of the day made health care universal in Canada. They funded it 50 percent. The present Chrétien government reduced it to some 13 percent.
Premier Klein of Alberta, if successful in his latest attempt to bring in private hospitals, will be the Judas of our universal health care and destroy it for Canadians.
Premier Klein stated during a CBC News Magazine some weeks ago the Canada Health Act rules will apply. His two medical supporters on the same program said health care was a commodity.
But as a commodity, the various trade agreements Canada is a party to will apply and override Canada Health laws (incidentally, the Mulroney government begged the U.S. to sign the first FTA, which U.S. did on their terms. The present Liberal government failed to modify or junk it as promised prior their election to power).
With the application of trade rules, as a minimum Canada (taxpayers) will pay damages to U.S. for profit health providers for profits lost.
If that doesn’t work, then trade punishment will. There are many examples of the latter–softwood lumber, magazine publishing, Ontario fresh water, fishery conservation, and the most recent U.S. attack on our patent duration on drugs.
Premier Klein or his successors will fold quickly if lumber, wheat, oil, or gas exports are threatened or shut off at the border.
Yours truly,
B.E. Seppala