Public healthcare should come before private profit

Fort Garry

Before forming government, Wab Kinew and the NDP were vocal critics of healthcare privatization. They rightly argued that public dollars should strengthen Manitoba’s public healthcare system, not increase profits for private corporations. Unfortunately, once in government, they have largely adopted the same privatization policies they once condemned.

The clearest example is Dynacare, the Ontario-based, for-profit company that now dominates blood collection and testing services in Manitoba. Rather than rebuilding public laboratory services, the Kinew government has expanded Dynacare’s role in our healthcare system.

The consequences are significant. Workers performing the same laboratory work earn substantially less at Dynacare than their counterparts in the public system. According to the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, Dynacare laboratory staff earn roughly 24 per cent less than public-sector workers doing the same job. At the same time, profits generated from Manitoba’s healthcare system leave the province and flow to corporate shareholders in Ontario rather than being reinvested in Manitoba communities.

Patients have also seen services become less accessible. Many Manitobans remember when blood could be collected at their doctor’s office or neighbourhood clinic. In Fort Garry, residents once had two community blood collection sites. Today, there are none. Patients are increasingly required to travel to centralized “super centres,” often by car, simply to access routine testing.

The same pattern can be seen elsewhere. The previous government privatized northern medical flights. While in opposition, the NDP criticized that decision. Yet after forming government, they renewed and extended the privatized arrangement rather than bringing the services back into public hands.

The government has also chosen to subsidize private healthcare facilities rather than invest directly in public infrastructure. One example is the new medical tower planned as part of the Portage Place redevelopment. The province has agreed to a 35-year lease in the building, but has refused to disclose the financial terms to Manitobans. Critics estimate the public cost could reach hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of the agreement.

The project provides a direct benefit to a private development led by one of Canada’s wealthiest billionaires, while diverting resources that could be used to strengthen Manitoba’s public healthcare system. Given the scale of the commitment, many have questioned whether Manitoba taxpayers would have been better served by building and owning a public facility outright.

Manitobans voted for change. They were promised a government that would strengthen public health care, not expand privatization. Instead, the Kinew government has continued many of the same policies it once opposed. For many voters, that represents a profound betrayal of trust.