As Eby warns against health

As Eby warns against health-care privatization, Conservatives say he's 'fearmongering'

Eby pointed to Alberta which recently allowed some doctors to work in both public and private systems

B.C. NDP Leader David Eby took his campaign on the offensive on Monday, warning that a B.C. Conservative government would move towards health-care privatization.

Eby pledged to maintain a fully public system, and suggested a Conservative government would emulate Alberta, which recently allowed some doctors to practice in both public and private care.

That's a model Eby said allows people to pay to skip to the head of the line, while pulling doctors, nurses and technicians from the public system.

"It's unfair. I say it's anti-Canadian," Eby said.

"If we have a challenge in our health-care system right now, its a shortage of health-care workers — now can you imagine what that would look like with even fewer heath-care workers for you and your family."

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Under Alberta's model, doctors must work a minimum number of hours in the public system to be eligible to work in private care, but critics say it opens the door to a two-tier system and could lengthen wait times for people who rely on public care.

The B.C. Conservatives said no one was available for an interview on Monday. But the party was quick to respond to the attack, calling it "fearmongering."

"[B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Dickson has] committed to protecting health-care funding and keeping B.C.'s system universal and publicly funded," the party said in a statement.

"British Columbians will never need anything more than their health card."

The party said Eby's attack showed the NDP are "increasingly desperate," and meant to distract the public from the government's record which includes a string of ER closures and an ongoing shortage of family doctors.

CBC News asked the party if it would rule out allowing people to pay for medically necessary treatment or bar doctors from working in a private system, but has yet to receive a response.

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During the 2024 election campaign under former leader John Rustad, the the B.C. Conservative Party said would increase the use of private medical clinics to cut wait times for treatment covered under the Medical Services Plan.

The B.C. Green Party, meanwhile, said the NDP lacks credibility on the issue, noting it had spent millions of dollars on private agency nurses while in government.

"Why should we trust Eby on health care?" Green Leader Emily Lowan said.

"He sent nurses to the picket lines, he cancelled seven long-term care facilities and funneled public money to private health contractors."

The NDP said Monday it would phase out agency nurses over the next three years.

CentreBC said it too opposes private health care, but said the NDP was the wrong choice to fix the system given its current challenges.

"It's clear that the NDP have not prioritized multiple ER closures across British Columbia," Leader Elenore Sturko said.

British Columbians go to the polls in less than two weeks, on Saturday, Oct. 24.