Liberals turn their back on Lyme Disease

If anyone is still reading this blog, I'll just quote two pieces of correspondence here and leave you to make your own assumptions, draw your own conclusions, and realize that the fight of Lyme Disease Patients in Canada is far from over.

In 2013, shortly after Kathleen Wynne became the new premier of Ontario, I wrote to her to implore her to take the unfair treatment (or non-treatment) of Lyme Disease patients into consideration.

In April 2013 I received the following email, and I quote without ANY changes other than adding the date:

4/4/13:  Thank you for taking the time to send your online message regarding Lyme disease. I appreciate hearing about your experience and have noted your concerns.

The happiness and health of Ontario residents must be enshrined. That is why our government will continue to build the strongest and most innovative health care system in the world, so that hospitals and research institutions keep setting international standards and saving innumerable lives.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please accept my best wishes.

Kathleen Wynne
Premier of Ontario  

Kathleen Wynne

Yet, this morning, this message appeared in my Inbox:

 wrote on March 28, 2015:

As many of you will know, I, along with many members of both the PC and NDP parties, have been attempting to address the serious health concerns in our system, especially with regards to Lyme Disease diagnosis and treatment. One of these attempts is Bill 27, Toby Barrett's private members bill, which was passed by all parties during Second Reading on November 20 2014. 

It saddens me to inform you that our attempts have been dealt a grave blow this week in Committee. 

Toby Barrett's Bill 27 was scheduled to have public hearings and consideration beginning April 28th and be completed in May. All committee members agreed to this on February 18, and it was also agreed that after these hearings the bill would then proceed for Third Reading. You can read the text of the agreement at the bottom of this email. 

On March 24th the Liberal members of the Committee, under the direction of  Premier Wynne and her House Leader, Yasir Naqvi, ordered the Liberal members of the committee to strike down the Feb 18 agreement. 

As it now stands, Bill 27 will probably never be called for Third and Final Reading without a significant change in the Liberal's hearts. 

I encourage you, your family, and your friends to help change these Liberal hearts by emailing and phoning the following people and expressing your views on how the Liberals are frustrating and obstructing all members of the Legislative Assembly. 

The Premier Kathleen Wynne can be reached at 416-325-1941or premier@ontario.ca

Hon. Yasir Naqvi,  Government House Leader can be reached at 613-722-6414or ynaqvi.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Minster of Health Eric Hoskins can be reached at 416-656-0943or  ehoskins.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Best regards,

Randy Hillier

P.S. As always, you can keep up to date with me on Facebook and Twitter.

Full Text of the Agreement:

That, prior to commencing consideration of Bills 12, 27 and 42, the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly, for a three-week period initially, to be reviewed after two weeks, conduct a review of the petition procedures currently in use at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and the use of e-petitions in other jurisdictions; and

That the committee produce a report on the advantages and disadvantages of integrating e-petitions into the assembly’s existing petition procedures and recommend whether e-petitions should be implemented and, if so, which would be the best practical model; and

That, in order to assist the committee’s review, the Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario be invited to appear before the committee, the table research office be instructed to provide background information on e-petitions and the committee hear from any other witnesses it deems relevant.

Following that, the committee will be looking at two weeks of Bill 12, three weeks of Bill 27 and two weeks of Bill 42.