Abstract

The sustainability of the Canadian healthcare system is a "hot" topic. Spiraling costs, increased demands, federal- provincial bickering regarding money and media framing of the "crisis" in our healthcare system have all fuelled a debate about the sustainability of the present system. There is an abundant literature offering a range of policy "fixes" for the system (Begin 1999; Rachlis and Kushner 1994; Gratzer 1999). At the same time, there is a growing cynicism about the sustainability of any public, not-for-profit system in the context of modern science and technology and public demand for access to "the best possible" medical care.