Premiers Scott Moe said, ‘The Government of Saskatchewan will not share any personal medical information with the federal government. This information is protected under The Health Information Protection Act and will remain so.’
REGINA, Saskatchewan (LifeSiteNews) – Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said his government will “not” participate in any type of national healthcare “digital ID” program as a condition to receive funding for health care from the federal government.
In an open letter to the public released last week, Moe wrote that the “Government of Saskatchewan is not creating a digital ID, nor will we accept any requirements for the creation of a digital ID tied to healthcare funding.”
In Canada, as per the constitution, health care falls 100 percent under the authority of the provincial governments, however, some federal money is transferred to provinces, but this amount has been in decline in recent years.
There has been some talk that future federal funding could be tied to a sort of national healthcare “digital ID.”
Moe flat-out rejected that Saskatchewan would take any money from the federal government should a digital ID be on the table.
“The Government of Saskatchewan will not share any personal medical information with the federal government. This information is protected under The Health Information Protection Act and will remain so,” Moe wrote.
He stressed that the only information that his government shares with the feds when it comes to health care are public healthcare statistics.
“The Government of Saskatchewan may share already publicly available healthcare statistics, including the number of physicians in Saskatchewan and surgical wait times if requested by any party, including the federal government,” Moe wrote. “The Government of Saskatchewan will not surrender or weaken any personal health privacy rights when signing a new Canada Health Transfer agreement.”
Moe’s letter comes after a public backlash and letter-writing campaign in the province that came about after people were concerned a digital ID could be in the cars in the province.
Today, all of Canada’s premiers met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to try and hash out a funding deal for health care with the federal government. It is not yet clear what has come from this meeting.
Canada’s premiers collectively are asking the federal government to live up to its end of the bargain in healthcare funding, after the total amount has dropped from 35 percent to 22 percent.
“In recent years, federal funding of health care has fallen from 35% of healthcare costs to 22%,” Moe wrote.
He demanded that the federal government be a full partner in funding with no strings attached.
When it comes to digital IDs, the federal government under Trudeau has been actively open to the idea.
Last year, through an Inquiry of Ministry, Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP Leslyn Lewis demanded information from the Trudeau government and Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra over its participation in the World Economic Forum’s “Known Traveler Digital Identity (KTDI)” pilot program.
Through this action, it was reported that the Trudeau government has a $105.3 million contract with the WEF to create a digital ID system for travel.
Informative, worth the watch.
The provinces of Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and New Brunswick have already forged ahead with pushing a digital ID on the public and are all listed on the Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) as members.
Saskatchewan did at least temporarily pause implementing its own local digital ID system last year after a public outcry.
Last year, Moe told Trudeau that his extreme environmental policies can go to “hell,” and that his province will assert full autonomy over its natural resources.
Alberta becomes second Canadian province to reject national healthcare digital ID
Premier Danielle Smith said she stands with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe in protecting private health information.
EDMONTON, Alberta (LifeSiteNews) – Alberta became the second province after Saskatchewan to decline participation in any type of national healthcare “digital ID” program as a condition to receive funding for health care from the federal government.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith made clear to Albertans this past Friday that their personal medical information would not be shared with the federal government.
“I agree and stand firmly with @PremierScottMoe in protecting Albertans’ private health information,” Smith tweeted.
“I will ensure that any agreements with the Federal Government do NOT include the sharing of any such personal information with the Feds or third party. #cdnpoli #abpoli.”
Smith included in her tweet an open letter written by Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe that was released publicly over a week ago.
I agree and stand firmly with @PremierScottMoe in protecting Albertans’ private health information. I will ensure that any agreements with the Federal Government do NOT include the sharing of any such personal information with the Feds or third party. #cdnpoli #abpoli pic.twitter.com/PfXXboyflo
— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) February 10, 2023
In Moe’s letter, he wrote that the “Government of Saskatchewan is not creating a digital ID, nor will we accept any requirements for the creation of a digital ID tied to healthcare funding.”
In Canada, as per the constitution, health care falls 100 percent under the authority of the provincial governments. However, some federal money is transferred to provinces, but this amount has declined in recent years.
There has been some talk that future federal funding could be tied to a sort of national healthcare “digital ID.”
An online campaign urging people to call Smith’s office to get her to oppose a federal digital ID had been growing over the past week.
Last week, all of Canada’s premiers met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to try and hash out a funding deal for health care with the federal government.
Canada’s premiers collectively asked the federal government to live up to its end of the bargain in healthcare funding, after the total amount dropped from 35 percent to 22 percent in recent years.
The meeting resulted in Trudeau offering a lower amount than the premiers had asked for in healthcare funding.
When it comes to digital IDs, the federal government under Trudeau has been actively open to the idea.
Last year, through an Inquiry of Ministry, Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP Leslyn Lewis demanded information from the Trudeau government and Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra over its participation in the World Economic Forum’s “Known Traveler Digital Identity (KTDI)” pilot program.
Through this action, it was reported that the Trudeau government has a $105.3 million contract with the WEF to create a digital ID system for travel.
The provinces of Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and New Brunswick have already forged ahead with pushing a digital ID on the public and are all listed on the Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) as members.
It should be noted that Alberta has had a form of its own optional provincial digital ID for a few years now.
Saskatchewan did at least temporarily pause implementing its own local digital ID system last year after a public outcry.
A good listen. Digital ID topic starts @3:30 minutes in.
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