PM's family doctor a leader in private health-care field

(PoliticsWatch posted May 7, 2004) 

The PMO added that for other services the PM relies on his parliamentary medical benefits plan. Martin is also the recipient of a medical benefits plan from his former company, Canada Steamship Lines Inc., but that does not include membership in an executive health care services plan, the PMO stated. 

While the Citizen story does not suggest that the prime minister pays out of pocket for any services, it is still bad optics for a prime minister who is planning to focus his election campaign largely on his party's defence of the public health-care system to be a client of a clinic operated by Canada's largest private preventive health-care provider. 

The Conservatives had a field day with the revelation in the House today, with leader Stephen Harper making a rare Friday morning appearance in question period. 

"The hypocrisy of those guys is absolutely breathtaking," said Harper in question period. 

"The prime minister's bluster on health care has been exposed as nothing more than cynical electioneering," said Conservative MP Diane Ablonczy. 

Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan and Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew fielded most of the questions, with responses based largely on the PMO's statement and some of the attack quotes the Liberals have assembled from Harper's past. 

"The Prime Minister obtains his health care like all the rest of us," explained McLellan in one response. 

After question period, reporters had a hard time asking senior Liberal ministers questions. 

Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew was spotted heading into a washroom in the foyer and soon a large pack of cameras and reporters awaited him when he exited. But he only repeated what he had said in the House and left after fielding two questions while reporters stood on the edge of the stairs. 

Elman's MRI clinic was in the news in 2000, when the Montreal Gazette examined the growing controversy over the use of MRI clinics in Quebec. 

At that time, then prime minister Jean Chretien warned the provinces that funding earmarked for medical diagnostics would be cut off unless the private MRI clinics were closed. 

The Montreal Gazette reported then that Elman said the MRI debate was "not really a question of two-tier medicine," as everything his company did was in conjunction with the Canada Health Act. 

However, when asked if the provinces are violating the act by allowing such services, Elman told the Gazette, "While the election is going on, I really don't want to say anything more about this." 

In addition to MRI's, Medisys offers what are described as private check ups to its 4,000 corporate clients. In an April interview with MD Magazine, Elman explains these checkups and the reporter makes the observation that Elman makes a point of not referring to the people who come to see him as "patients," but "clients."

"Clients aren't coming in because they are sick," said Elman. "They are coming in because they want to apply the ideals of preventive health care." 

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