And now a stumble from the Socialists!

Perhaps feeling a bit left out of the political oh oh parade, Jack Layton today found himself involved in one of those uncomfortable moments of any electoral campaign. That moment when the media has found some unfortunate bit of news, a bit of theatre that you now have to respond to. Layton, who as we all know is the champion of Medicare, and the supposed last line of defence against the two tier health system had to fess up that, oh hmmm, how to put this, well he too benefited private health care.

Layton it seems was sent to the Shouldice Hospital in Toronto back in the mid nineties while he was on Toronto City council. Back in the day, Layton's doctor shipped him off to the not for profit clinic for hernia surgery. Smilin' Jack suggests that he had no idea that the health operation was of the second tier at the time (though one assumes he probably had the required surgery done rather quickly in the private place, a much better situation than those nasty old hospital wait lists would provide) simply going to where his doctor sent him.

This marks the second time in a day that a don't ask, didn't tell scenario has come into play. Stephen Harper used a form of it in his banishment of his BC candidate earlier in the day!

Needless to say the surgery situation is a tad embarrassing for the folks standing up for Canada's working folks. Health care has long been the staple of the NDP platform, if nothing else Canadians know them for their constant outrage at the failing state of the current health system and the continual erosion to the private side.

In fact Layton had purposely made a point of railing against the concept of increasing the private sector involvement in our health care. Personally stating that he and his wife both have made difficult choices over the years to support public health care. Though he never got around to mentioning his adventures over on the dark side.

The idea that he somehow did not know that he had dabbled with the princes of privitization are possible, but you just have to think that he might have noticed a singular lack of overwhelmed health care professionals and wave after wave of patients in the halls at the Shouldice. Then again, when you're in pain and looking for help, you're not really paying attention to the folks around you (or not in this case).

At any rate the news came out at a most unfortunate time for Layton, the NDP had just posted on their website some interesting developments in the world of campaign financing. A bit of investigative journalism from the Tyee that Ujjal Dosanjh upon joining Federal politics, had benefited quite handsomely from private clinic supporters with private clinics providing some healthy financiing for the emerging MP and soon to be cabinet minister. A good bomb gone for naught, with the news of Layton's visit made public later in the day.

THE MAIN POLICY OF THE NDP HAS ALWAYS BEEN OUR HEALTH SYSTEM, if anything its the one thing Canadians think of when they see Smilin' Jack's face on a pamphlet or a tv commercial. One would have thought that the party would have made sure that they could not be assailed on their one motherhood issue!