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    The Conservatives vs. the doctors

    Another doctor confronts another cabinet minister.

    Aaron Wherry
    <p>Nurse practitioner Nancy Giammarella checks the throat of Henry Moreno at the Health Department in Dalton, Ga. on April 14, 2011. The United States faces a growing shortage of primary care physicians, those who specialize in family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology. And smaller communities, such as in Whitfield and Murray counties, are getting hit hardest. Last year, the Association of American Medical Colleges predicted a shortage of 45,000 primary care physicians nationwide by 2020. Experts say better pay and better hours are drawing medical students away from primary care to other specialties. (AP Photo/The Daily Citizen, Matt Hamilton)</p>

    Nurse practitioner Nancy Giammarella checks the throat of Henry Moreno at the Health Department in Dalton, Ga. on April 14, 2011. The United States faces a growing shortage of primary care physicians, those who specialize in family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology. And smaller communities, such as in Whitfield and Murray counties, are getting hit hardest. Last year, the Association of American Medical Colleges predicted a shortage of 45,000 primary care physicians nationwide by 2020. Experts say better pay and better hours are drawing medical students away from primary care to other specialties. (AP Photo/The Daily Citizen, Matt Hamilton)

    Another doctor confronts another cabinet minister.

    Williams allowed Aglukkaq to announce $238 million in funding for health care data and gave the minister time to answer reporter questions before she raised her voice. She told the minister she was concerned by the cuts to services, which come into effect June 30, and asked who should be held accountable.

    Aglukkaq said the federal government decided to provide the same care to refugees that every Canadian receives. “Before [this change], a refugee got better health care coverage than the 30 million Canadians, so our decision is to continue with the services to refugees that it will be the same to all Canadians,” Aglukkaq said. “But that’s not true,” Williams asserted. “Yes it is,” Aglukkaq insisted. Williams said Canadians are being deceived: “Right now refugees get the same health care we get. Starting next week they will get less health care,” she said.

    See previously: ‘Members of the Conservative government will be disrupted from this point on’

    tags:health careimmigrationLeona Aglukkaqrefugees