Kevin Tolliver

Reports sent back to Washington during the Vietnam War made it clear to everyone. The U.S. was winning. There could be no debate or doubt. It was right there in the numbers. When searching for a metric to measure “success,” U.S. politicians and the military had come to rely on body count comparisons. Defining “winning” as having a higher body count. And by that measure, the U.S. was indeed winning. We were killing over seven North Vietnamese soldiers for every one of ours.

Canadian physicians, like many other Canadians, generally support the country’s publicly funded health care system, which is designed to provide universal access to medical care. However, despite its strengths, there are some areas where the public system falls short, and there is growing evidence that a combination of public and private health care could help address some of these shortcomings.

Maybe one day, our universal health care system represented the values of Canadians, but certainly not anymore. American friends, you may know us for our drinking age and “free health care.” Still, unfortunately, our health care system no longer embodies the principles of equality, respect, politeness, safety, and peace that we hold dear. You may also be familiar with our Prime Minister’s fondness for dressing up and doing shirtless yoga poses.