Here is a letter I wrote to my MPP:

Doug Downey,

I hope you are in good health today. As you know, information about the so-called health care super agency has been in the press lately. I read over the comments from healthcare workers, advocates and experts. It seems that many believe that removing local autonomy or specialist organizations would be detrimental to the delivery of services.1 Specifically to decrease the speed of adopting more effective or less expensive treatments, to reduce quality, and increase wait times by increasing the bureaucracy involved.

As it stand, I’m opposed to creating this large bureaucracy.

  1. Who will you consult with when determining if this will be a good idea or a bad idea?
  2. What is the timeline of your consultation?
  3. Will you oppose the ministry of health and the legislature if they try to make this change too quickly? (Without proper consultation.)
  4. Do share the concerns of workers and advocates who have seen slowdowns and costly delays when local control is put under a larger central bureaucracy?
  5. Do you share the concerns of workers and advocates who have seen significant delays in treatment advancement of conditions when specialist organizations are put under the control of a larger central bureaucracy?
  6. I agree with conservative hesitancy of central government and desire for local control and consultation. Does this centralization plan concern you as a conservative?

Thanks,

Shawn P. Conroy

Notes and additional reading

  1. Experts criticize Ontario proposal to overhaul health-care system, centralize patient care from the Globe and Mail
    https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-government-employee-fired-after-leak-of-fords-health-plan/
  2. The opening sentence was not intended to be a joke. It was my first thought when writing you, but I didn’t change it when I realized it could be seen as sarcastic.