By Rob South
To many Albertans it appeared that the Klein government was deaf because anyone with hearing would have at least noticed the chants of "Kill the bill, kill the bill" coming from the steps of the legislature. To others, the government was doing what it always does, taking the necessary steps to make Alberta more prosperous for the silent conservative majority, left-wing nuts be dammed. But what has really changed with healthcare, good or bad, since the passing of Bill 11?
Nothing, nothing at all. Of course, the bill has only been law for about a week, but the important thing is that nothing substantial will change until after the next provincial election. Simply put, Klein is too smart to risk enough votes to end the Tories’ streak of eight consecutive governments.
Klein’s success at getting Bill 11 through has surely moved some votes the Liberals’ ways, but it left many Albertans just plain uncertain. Is the Alberta government really going to prevent line skipping at private clinics? Even if they do, will it mean better service for the patient? The truth of the matter is that no one outside of the conservative caucus knows for sure how Bill 11 will be implemented. I, like many other Albertans, have my doubts about how effective the bill will be. And for precisely this reason: no real changes are going to occur.
For the past few months, Klein has carefully placed blame on the federal government for underfunding healthcare while insisting the changes Bill 11 will bring are going to be small; as usual, for one reason or another, the general public ha bought into Klein’s rhetoric. A public relations success like this will not be wasted with sweeping changes that make the premier look like a liar.
Rather, the conservatives will lick what wounds they already have, ride out an uninspiring victory in the next provincial election, and then finally let Albertans see what Bill 11 means to them. For this is how the thin end of the wedge works: not in an abrupt and obvious manner, but slowly and methodically.