A dark Day, I say.

Dr. Brian Day, president-elect of the CMA today received a standing ovation for his inaugural address, according to CBC radio.

The speech can be read in its entirety here, on the CMA site. It is largely hot air, doublespeak, and straw-men of the proponents of truly universal care. It is infuriating to see the president of the CMA whine about how there is a doctor shortage. . . the cartel has done its part to keep the supply low, and the price high.

Reforming hospital funding to provide "incentives" for excellence sounds good, but how do you define hospital performance? Is the best hospital the one that treats the sickest patients for the longest? Or is it the one that sends its patients home the fastest? These ideas sound good in a speech, but I don't know if Dr. Day has any plan or motive to get them implemented.

More interestingly, Day's own website gives a better indication of what the man truly believes, on his "Health Care Quotes" page. It contains some morally repugnant distortions of the situation, and some indications of how the man feels about his job.

http://www.brianday.ca/health-quotes.html

Here are my least favourite two.

"...our noble tradition that no sick person of any age, sex, race or religion whatsoever, shall ever suffer for need of medical care on account of poverty or any other cause...should be based on our willingness to give, and should be construed as an act of our charity. It should not be exploited: nor should it be assumed as a God-given right by way of its beneficiaries. Least of all should it be a right-of-way for needy and penurious governmental and administrative bodies."

- Dr. J.H MacDermot Osler lecture (1939)

Disgustingly arrogant self-righteousness.

Then there's this rubbish:

"In fact, the Canadian health care system is perhaps the most rigid and oppressive (to physicians) within the free world."

- David J. Dandy, Vice President, Royal College of Surgeons of England

Aww, the poor Canadian doctors. My heart goes out to the poor dears. They have to drive Lexuses and Acuras, while their American friends drive Porsches and Benz's. My heart goes out to them, so oppressed and powerless. . . .