Delay. Deny. Depose. These words, etched in bullet casings, are rightfully sending chills down spines in America today after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan. For Canadians, they should offer a warning. Our healthcare system, long a source of national pride, is under attack, and we’re inching closer and closer to the nightmare scenarios playing out south of the border, born from a for-profit healthcare system.
In the United States, “deny, delay, depose” is a philosophy of care where profit reigns over human life. Lives are not always lost because of disease, but because the system itself is the cancer. Just this week in Canada, a friend started treatment for cancer within a week of diagnosis. In the U.S., that same treatment would depend on insurance approvals and financial means. While I’m grateful my friend is receiving the care he needs, I also can’t ignore that our system is strained, and the cracks are widening.
Emergency rooms are closing, family doctors are disappearing, and private healthcare is creeping into spaces where universal access once stood strong. What started as a slow erosion of public health, is gaining momentum. It’s a deliberate, political dismantling designed to make way for profit-driven care that benefits the few at the expense of everyone else.
This is not a Left/Right Issue
I am, like many of you, utterly exhausted by how politicized our lives have become. It feels like there is nothing that is not reduced to a left or right issue. But healthcare? How did we let this happen? Healthcare is a fundamental human right that should never be about political sides, nor should it be about wealth or status. For the love of Tommy Douglas, if there’s one issue that we should be able to unite on, it’s this. Because at the end of the day, there’s one thing every single one of us need: healthcare.
It’s easy to point fingers at one political party or ideology when our healthcare system is faltering, but let’s be honest: the blame isn’t confined to a single corner of Parliament Hill or provincial legislature. This crisis has been decades in the making, with successive governments of all stripes making promises they either couldn’t or wouldn’t keep. Meanwhile, the cracks in our healthcare system have widened, and Canadians are paying the price—sometimes with their lives.
When federal health transfers to provinces come with no strings attached, it’s like handing over blank cheques. If money earmarked for healthcare can end up held back or misappropriated instead of reducing wait times or hiring more healthcare workers, then it’s more than a failure of governance, it’s a betrayal of trust. Every party must answer for this, from Liberals resisting provincial demands to increase health transfers, to Conservatives favouring vague agreements over accountability, to New Democrats making overly ambitious promises without a clear path to pay for it all.
Where is the accountability for making sure our tax dollars do what we need them to do? Without enforceable standards tied to these health transfers, provincial governments are free to use federal money however they see fit. And too often, that means hospitals struggle while shiny new highways appear.
If there’s one thing that should unite us across party lines, it’s this: healthcare dollars must be spent on healthcare. Canadians shouldn’t be left guessing whether the taxes we pay to support universal healthcare are being funnelled into other priorities. We need a system where transparency isn’t optional and accountability isn’t negotiable. Whether it’s Liberals, Conservatives, or New Democrats at the helm, the expectation should be the same—universal healthcare isn’t a bargaining chip. Without hyperbole, it’s our lifeline.
A Grim Roadmap We Cannot Follow
Delay. Deny. Depose. These words aren’t just a warning; they’re a reality waiting to happen here if we don’t act. If our system continues to falter, lives will be lost not because of illness but because of delays in care, denials of coverage, and an erosion of trust in the public healthcare system. The question isn’t whether we can afford to fix it; it’s whether we can afford not to.
I am begging and pleading with you—not just for my family, but for your family and for all families—to stand united and demand that our governments do better. We must insist that every healthcare dollar is used as intended: to strengthen our hospitals, hire more healthcare workers, and ensure universal access to care for everyone.
This is not about politics; it’s about survival. There’s so much we can disagree on when it comes to politics, but at a minimum, we should all be able to agree on one fundamental truth: nobody should have to die waiting for healthcare.
It’s time to wake up, Canada. Our future depends on it.