The CBC and Jacques Poitras are wrong
I was disturbed by CBC's reporting of the recent launch of the For Better Healthcare movement.
The accusation that this group was started by a group of prominent Tories is totally false. Instead, I was the one who started this group because I wanted to bring people together in an effort to improve the healthcare system. The reason for this is easy to explain. I am frustrated with the type of medical care I have received in this province.
For example, I have gone almost one year without a family doctor. I also recently had to wait nine hours at a local emergency room. In addition, I have also heard many horror stories from people about the medical care they have received.
Please don't misunderstand me though. I have the utmost respect for the men and women who work in the medical system and I believe that they do a great job for what they have to work with. I just believe that the system needs improvement and nobody has been improving it.
It is wrong to pay as much as we do for our healthcare system and to not have an influence over how it is run. For example, why should I or anyone else pay for a healthcare system but not have a doctor?
In the 24 hours since For Better Healthcare's launch, I have received many emails from people with concerns and stories that don't paint our healthcare system in a good light. These are from ordinary people and not Tories. Their stories would break anyone's heart.
As indicated on the For Better Healthcare's website, For Better Healthcare welcomes anyone into the group and will promote any good idea for the province's healthcare system. Moreover, there are 160 founding members of this group and these are regular people from across our province. Yes, there are a few Tories in the group because they chose to join due to the merits of the group and not because they influenced its founding. Moreover, Stephen Campbell's column is published on the For Better Healthcare only because of the validity of the points he makes in his article and not because he is a Tory. If he were a Liberal, the column would have been published.
Regarding Jamal Instrum, Jamal Instrum's idea is promoted on the For Better Healthcare website because it is a good idea. This is the bottom line. I encourage you to look at the proposal for yourself by visiting the www.forbetterhealthcare.ca website. If anyone else has a good idea, I would be happy to review it with the other members of thr group.
Again, I would like to stress that anyone and any idea that will help healthcare is welcome in For Better Healthcare.
Please let me be clear in stating that For Better Healthcare is independent and grassroots. The group has been formed because of the poor handling of the healthcare file by government and not because the Liberals are in power.
Finally, the CBC failed to tell you many other things about the story and how they dropped the ball. I'm sure you would be interested in knowing but I will not lower myself to the unprofessionalism certain members of the CBC have shown.
The CBC has got the For Better Healthcare story wrong and they have lost my respect.
I encourage you to get involved in For Better Healthcare and discover what it is all about. You may visit the group's website at www.forbetterhealthcare.ca
Mark Taylor is coordinator of For Better Healthcare and founder of Delora Media.
Comments (6)
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Aren't you yourself being unprofessional by making unsubstantiated claims against another media outlet?
I could just as easily say that For Better Healthcare or Mr Taylor dropped the ball, and failed to disclose many things about their group, and I'm certain you'd be interested in knowing them, but I won't lower myself to their levels of unprofessionalism by stating them on the record.
Nothing against your group, but I think the statement regarding the CBC was a baseless accusation unless backed up by facts.
Further, why can't members of a political party, or any political party, be considered "grassroots"? If one member (i.e. not MP or MLA) of a political party joins what is considered to be a "grassroots" movement, does it lose it's former status, is there a limit or quota?
The CBC article was a sloppy attack on what is shaping up to be a legitimate, positive movement whether or not the CBC considers it "grassroots" (whatever their definition is).
Essentially what I get out of it is Mr. Poitras insinuating Mr. Taylor is a liar. I have to go with Mr. Taylor on this one. Nothing wrong with connecting some dots and letting the reader decide but leaving out the other side of the story by not running Mr. Taylor's side except in a half-hearted attempt when Mr. Taylor called him on it is pretty shoddy journalism. I have had many disagreements with Mr. Poitras over the years over his style of reporting as it can border on bias and contain smugness. He's a good reporter generally but this one is a bit subpar as it lacks Mr. Taylor's side until CBC got called on it.
Vaughan Blaney? Robert Pichette? Donald Savoie?
I can think of more than a few "prominent Liberals" who have come out against a given policy of the curent provincial gov't.
I don't think this demonstrates anything about the government, but shows that there are a variety of opinions within the Liberal Party itself.