September 19, 2002

Letters to the Editor
Toronto Star
One Yonge Street
Toronto, ON

Dear Editor:

I was intrigued by the photo of former Finance Minister Paul Martin guffawing
while
standing next to the public health nurse showing that family health was about
staying
clean, exercising, brushing teeth, sleeping, and healthy eating (New deal to
reflect
diversity, Sept. 19, p. A7.)  Was Mr. Martin laughing for any or all of the
following reasons?:
1.  Health research -- much of it funded by his government -- indicates that
these factors
account for very little of whether children and families stay healthy. The  real
factors
are adequate income, housing, and other resources.
2.   The Healthy Beginnings class depicted was funded by monies that the
provincial
government clawed back from the same low income families attending the class.
3. Family income, security, and health are deteriorating as a result of his
allocating
$100,000,000,000 (one hundred billion dollars) in tax cuts for the most well-off
that
could have been given to the same needy families attending these classes.
4. His relief that he and his friends will never have to have to depend on
public health
programs to meet their basic needs due to the generous tax breaks and perks
provided
to the wealthy by his policies?
5.  All of the above?

Dennis Raphael, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Undergraduate Programme Director
School of Health Policy & Management
Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies
York University
4700 Keele St.
Toronto ON M3J 1P3
Ph: 416-736-2100 ext. 22134
Fax: 416-736-5227
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

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