Singh promises to 'put pressure' on Trudeau to address health-care crisis at Vancouver Island rally
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was on Vancouver Island on Tuesday speaking about health care.
His visit brought him to Courtenay and Qualicum Beach, where health-care access is in short supply.
In Courtenay, a sign on a walk-in clinic notifies the public that it will close for good on April 28.
Residents told CTV News it's becoming "next to impossible" to find a doctor in the area.
Paul Berger, a parent of two young children, says his family has a doctor but the doctor's office is more than an hour away.
"We'll call 811, we'll wait on the phone for 45 minutes to talk to somebody and their advice is always, 'Go to the hospital,'" said Berger.
"Then we go to the hospital and they say, 'You don't need to be here,'" he said.
Singh says he's hearing about similar issues from residents across Canada.
"We have a prime minister who’s not taking this crisis seriously, doesn’t understand how serious it is and is not responding to the crisis with the urgency required," he said in Qualicum Beach.
The NDP leader says his party plans to hold Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accountable for improving health care.
"I’m going to make it very clear to him that it’s serious and we expect action and we’ll use the pressure that we have, the tools that we have, to apply that pressure," he said.
Singh said the NDP doesn't plan on withdrawing from its coalition with the Liberals.
"Certainly not today," he said. "Today, what we’re doing is fighting for our health care."
Political science instructor and former B.C. health ministry assistant Daniel Reeve says the Liberals are in a tough spot, but he doesn’t see any major changes happening soon.
"They're a little bit vulnerable," said Reeve.
"The halo that used to exist around Trudeau in his first term is well and truly gone," he said. "What's the NDP's leverage? Their polling is about the same – 21 per cent – and who knows what that looks like in an election."
Singh says the NDP will continue to work with the Liberals as the health-care crisis worsens across the country.
"We are using the power that we have to put pressure on this government to fight to defend a universal health-care system," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.