©  Copyright 2002 Rogers Media. The following article first appeared in the January 2002 edition of BENEFITS CANADA magazine.

Four lousy paragraphs.

That's all Finance Minister Paul Martin saw fit to offer Canada's distressed healthcare system. In a federal budget focused sharply on global terrorism, the best Martin could do was "confirm that we will provide the full $23 billion of increased healthcare and early childhood funding announced in September of last year."

Look at B.C. All but the poorest Canadians in that province can no longer count on the government for visits to physiotherapists, chiropractors, naturopaths, massage therapists and podiatrists. And there's more cuts to come, according to Health Services Minister Colin Hansen. "The only way that we will be able to meet the needs of British Columbians and ensure that patients get access to medically necessary care is to go through some structural changes," he says. "There will be more changes."

These cuts will save the B.C. government $130 million this year. Who's going to pick up the tab? Employers. While some may balk at naturopath visits, there will surely be great expectations among benefits plan members.

The message to benefits plan sponsors across Canada is clear. Aside from some improvements in research funding, this is as good as public healthcare is going to get for the foreseeable future.

Canadians who think they deserve more can take it up with, well, you.

A couple of brighter notes. We are happy to announce the launch of Pension Planning. It features a panel of columnists that will include leading consultant Keith Ambachtsheer and prominent speaker and writer Glorianne Stromberg. Both will write a column each quarter for us, as will a revolving list of pension plan sponsors from across the country.

We're also kicking off our 25th anniversary commemorations here this month. The year-long celebration will offer, among other things, good reading. This month we premier Back Words. We've also commissioned a series of essays entitled "The Next 25 Years" (more on that next month).

The centrepiece of our anniversary plans is an exciting research project. The findings from our study of both plan sponsors and plan members will be packaged in a special in-depth report, scheduled for publication in October 2002. Stay tuned. There are details to come on all of this and more.

It's going to be a terrific year--to heck with Paul Martin.

The Romanow Commission has released its final report on the future of healthcare in Canada.

For Commissioner Romanow's recommendations, click here.

Click here for Senator Michael Kirby's report, "The Health of Canadians – The Federal Role: Recommendations for Reform."