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Amidst plans from the provincial government to change and improve healthcare, accusations have come out that the government is planning to privatize Ontario’s healthcare system.

In a recent statement from the NDP, the party claims to have obtained internal government documents that allegedly lay out Ford’s plan to create a new “Super Agency health bureaucracy,” with a specific mandate to privatize health services such as hospitals.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath, who has expressed strong opposition to the Ford government in the past, criticizes the alleged plans for health care privatization.

“Every Ontarian who’s ever rushed a sick child to the emergency room, or seen an elderly parent through a medical crisis, knows that our world-class health care system is hanging by a thread after decades of cuts and underfunding by Liberal and Conservative governments — including 15 years of the Wynne Liberals’ cuts,” Horwath said.

“Doug Ford’s calculating plan to cut, add bureaucracy and turn our health care system into a cash show for private corporations is wrong, and I’m not letting it happen without a fight.”

However, the PC government disputes the NDP’s allegations, with Deputy Premier of Ontario Christine Elliott stating that Horwath “pretty much got everything wrong.”

Asked repeatedly if the govt will further privatize health care services, Elliott repeats that the govt is committed to strengthening public health care. — Laura Stone (@l_stone) January 31, 2019

The NDP also points to a recent report from the provincial government as a sign that Ford is gearing up for severe cuts and privatization in Ontario’s healthcare system.

The report, released the morning of Thursday, January 31, outlines the government’s perspective of a problem it calls “hallway healthcare” and claims that there are difficulties navigating the health care system, which leave a negative impact on patients’ health.

It also states that the system is already facing capacity pressures and does not have the necessary tools for an expected increase in complex care needs.

“There’s much to be proud of in our health care system. However, there are also many barriers that make the system difficult to navigate for patients and providers,” said Special Advisor and Chair of the Council Dr. Rueben Devlin.

“This report is a first step in advising the government on how to transform Ontario’s health care system.”

A link to the government documents can be found on the NDP’s website.