OTTAWA—The Liberals’ Bob Rae says Stephen Harper is dodging questions on how to repair medicare because the Conservative leader doesn’t fundamentally believe in universal health care.

“Mr. Harper is a right-wing guy, and right-wing guys don’t believe in the Canadian health-care system. They never have and they never will,” Rae declared as the Liberals sought to keep up their aggressive campaign on the key issue of health-care.

“Over the last five years, this government has done nothing, absolutely nothing, to advance the discussions with the provinces” on the future of the publicly funded health-care system, Rae said of the Conservatives. “Mr. Harper has stood by as an absentee landlord. He’s done nothing.”

The Liberals have made health-care a central focus of their election effort and are questioning whether a re-elected Conservative government would have enough money to pay for increases in medicare funding in the years ahead.

The federal-provincial agreement that provides funds from Ottawa for health-care expires in 2014 and Rae said Conservative priorities may leave little room to expand medicare transfers to the provinces. Complicating the Conservative budget choices are commitments to buy new F-35 jet fights, which the Liberals say would cost $30 billion, and $6-billion a year in further corporate income tax cuts. As well, the Liberals say the Conservative plan to balance the budget in three years hinges on unexplained budget cuts of $11 billion.

“Mr. Harper has a long record of public statements opposing universal public health care in favour of private, for-profit delivery of health services—and given the risky spending and cuts in his platform, there is no reason to trust him,” Rae, the Liberal candidate in Toronto Centre riding, said Tuesday.

The Liberals have resurfaced previous quotes from Harper questioning the federal government’s role in the universal health-care system.

But in the campaign, Harper has said his party is fully committed to improving medicare and upholding the Canada Health Act. He said a re-elected Conservative government would continue to increase health-care transfers to the provinces by six per cent annually.

“Everyone is committed to continuing a universal public health-care system that is fully financed,” Harper said. “That is this government’s No. 1 priority and that will be its position.”

The Liberals and New Democrats have also pledged to continue federal funding for health-care and to protect the Canada Health Act.

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