In late October, former U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders toured three Hogtown hospitals leaving the Senator “in awe” of our great Canadian healthcare system according to the Toronto Star.

Especially notable was the photo-op moment at Women’s College Hospital where Sanders observed a refugee diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes receiving “free” treatment for her ailment.

Yeah! Free healthcare for one and all! Whoo-hoo!

Fortunately, the 76-year-old Bernie didn’t fall ill on his trip otherwise he might have had to experience our health care system the way the common Canuck schmuck does.

After Bernie left, another healthcare story made headlines inspiring “awe” for all the wrong reasons — namely, a woman’s family doctor referred her to a neurologist for a brain scan and was told to check back in four and a half years, assuming she’s still alive!

Another scathing indictment of how broken our “free” healthcare system is despite the billions of tax dollars that feed this insatiable beast.

And it’s only getting worse according to the Fraser Institute. In 1993, the median wait time was 9.3 weeks but last year wait times hit 20 weeks, the longest ever recorded.

This despite Canada’s third-place rank among 28 universal healthcare systems in terms of the percentage of the economy spent on healthcare.

We know we have a problem, and it’s one that will worsen as the population ages so what do we do about it?

Nothing. Universal health care has sacred cow status meaning that even attempting to have an honest discussion, is an act of political suicide for any politician that dares raise the topic.

Progressive tourists like Bernie Sanders should know the great Canadian “free” healthcare system is no panacea for what ails Americans.