Former Canadian Health Minister Defends Universal Health Care and the Canadian Health Care System

In response to negative comments from Senator Mitch McConnell and negative advertising campaigns from "Patients United Now" and other groups, Mr. Dosanjh is making himself available to American media to set the record straight about Canada's effective, efficient, world-class universal health care system. He has appeared twice this week on CNN Newsroom with Rick Sanchez and on numerous Canadian outlets.

The Hon. Ujjal Dosanjh was Canada's Minister of Health from 2004 to 2006 and continues to serve as a Member of Parliament. He has also served as the 33rd Premier of British Columbia, and Attorney General of B.C.

For biographical information, see www.ujjaldosanjh.ca

Biography: As Health Minister

From 2004 to 2006, Ujjal served as Canada's Minister of Health. During his tenure, Ujjal's achievements included the $41.3 billion-dollar 10-year Plan to Strengthen Health Care, and resulting establishment of evidence-based benchmarks for wait times in December 2005; he launched discussions to ensure fair compensation for Hepatitis C victims infected prior to 1986 and after 1990, leading to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding which committed the federal government to compensate those victims; he modernized Health Canada by creating a more open and transparent approval process, particularly with regard to prescription drugs. This led to the first-ever public forum on drug approvals in Canada, which allowed members of the public to present their views on selective COX-2 inhibitors to Health Canada's expert advisory panel.

Another first for Canada through Ujjal's work as Health Minister was the first-ever international meeting of health ministers on Global Pandemic Influenza Readiness, which he hosted in Ottawa in October 2005.