As Premier Gary Doer meets with his provincial counterparts at picturesque Niagara-on-the-Lake to figure out how they can bilk more money out of the federal government for health care, a storm is brewing back home in Manitoba. The Winnipeg Free Press' Leah Janzen reported earlier this week over 1,400 children "with rotting teeth are being forced to wait up to fifteen months for dental surgery."

Although it may come as no surprise that the waiting lists for dental surgery have grown over the past five years, what should raise red flags is the NDP government's outright rejection to accept an offer from a private clinic to alleviate the wait times for these children.

The Maples Surgical Centre in Winnipeg proposed a solution to the government that would see nearly 1000 surgeries done a year, at a cost of $261 per procedure. Blinded by ideology, the NDP government refused to entertain the possibility of a private-for-profit clinic offering up any solutions. Why Because that would go against the dogma that only a government run system is capable of providing health services. But this goes well beyond the borders or philosophical difference, the government's decision is just plain stupid. Have they even considered the long-term health implications their decision could have on these children They will likely have to use an already strained system for future complications thanks to big government adamantly digging in their heels.

It's time to take this debate out of the realm of blind ideology and back to one of logic, something politicians loath to do. During the recent federal election much had been said about "reforming" Canada's health care system. What this usually means for politicians is more money and for the public this translates into higher taxes.

To put our health care system on the road to recovery is to recognize a larger role for the private sector, an opportunity Manitoba just let slip through its fingers. The unorthodox approach to allow for a parallel public private mix would be considered heresy to some, particularly public sector workers with a vested interest in keeping the health care monopoly. But it has been done in places like Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, Singapore and other countries.

Currently the Canada Health Act (CHA) prohibits the delivery of private health care services within Canada. The CHA should be amended to increase the role of the private sector. Ottawa should learn from other countries (and some Indian bands within Canada buying their own MRIs) that by giving Canadians the choice of spending more of their own money to get better health is acting in their best interest. Allowing a parallel, private system to co-exist along side the public system is key to improving Canada's health care system.

Amending the CHA by replacing the principal of public administration with the principles of choice, sustainability, quality and accountability is the first step to ending inefficient, state-run health care. The government will, of course, continue to provide support for core services, but also grant access to private providers to deliver health care.

Premier Doer had a great opportunity to show the rest of the country that Manitoba is making meaningful reforms to health care by allowing Maples to perform dental surgeries, unfortunately, he completely blew it. In the mean time his government has relegated these young children to wait as their teeth rot, along with our health care system.