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June 11, 2008

M'accuse

The next time a Canadian tries to assume the moral high ground on healing the sick or points an accusing finger at the treatment of foreigners south of the border remember the name of Juana Tejada. Tejada is live-in caregiver from the Philippines working in Canada under a caregiver program which grants permanent resident status to domestic workers after they complete their three-year assignment. Unfortunately for Tejada, she has herself been diagnosed with a terminal cancer and is now to be deported.

Got that? They wanted Juana to come to Canada so she could serve Canadians who needed home health care. When Juana got sick, the same health care service for which she worked couldn’t be bothered to foot the bill for her treatments. Juana worked and paid into that system for three years before they discovered that she would “cause excessive demand” for her treatment.

Now, let’s imagine that a private health insurer pulled that kind of stunt. It would make headlines, and political candidates across the spectrum would start including Juana as the victim of the corporate, profit-centered mentality of the American health care system. Except, of course, it doesn’t happen. Insurers can’t kick people off their rolls for getting cancer after their coverage starts, and the US government doesn’t deport legal immigrants for dying before they’ve serviced enough Americans to make them worthwhile.

In the United States there would be an uproar, an uproar echoed by the world's anti-American, statist press with the CBC in the vanguard. I do not expect we will hear so much as a whisper for all the Tejada's we Canadians have chosen to use and discard, the linked Toronto Star "immigration/diversity" article notwithstanding. Such would be counter to our state ideology; to take what we want and blame the Americans for whatever is left-over.

Posted by Ghost of a flea at June 11, 2008 12:11 AM

Comments

Flea, wherefore art thou the Flea?

I stop here every day because it's necessary.

With apologies to Kate and the Gods of the Copybook Headings, this is the finest weblog in Canada and one of the best anywhere.

Of course you knew that.

Posted by: Occam's Carbuncle [TypeKey Profile Page] at June 11, 2008 08:46 AM

Thank you... much appreciated. Though please to note these are all new posts for June 11! You are quite right to note my sketchy attendance over the last few days, however, as I have been somewhat preoccupied. :-)

Posted by: Ghost of a flea [TypeKey Profile Page] at June 11, 2008 09:07 AM

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