OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(MARKET WIRE)--Oct 6, 2008 -- A new poll done for the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) shows Canadians believe politicians are avoiding health care in this general election because they lack the vision and courage to tackle the tough issues.

"In this election, Canadians are looking for leadership on health and they are clearly not seeing it," said CMA President, Dr. Robert Ouellet. "Canadians believe our politicians are afraid to talk about what is really needed to fix our health care system."

The poll, conducted by Ipsos Reid for the CMA, shows that most Canadians are critical of their country's leaders when it comes to addressing the problems facing Canada's health care system. Seven in ten say that Canada's leaders lack either the vision (41%) to fix such a complex issue or are afraid (30%) to take on such a politically sensitive issue as health care.

The poll also found that three in four Canadians (74%) say that federal politicians are not spending enough time talking about the future of the health care system in the current federal election. The same number also says that political parties should have a comprehensive health care policy that includes a plan to address the doctor shortage.

The CMA is working to change that fact through the release today of a new Voters' Guide to the Issues featuring responses on key health issues of four of the five major parties running in the federal election. The Conservative Party was the sole party that declined to send in a response.

"It's important that Canadians know where the parties stand on health and health care," said Dr. Ouellet. "Our Voters' Guide should help Canadians make an informed decision."

The poll also shows that Canadians continue to rank health care as one of the most pressing issues requiring action by the next newly elected government. The poll found a virtually equal number identifying the economy (32%) and health care (31%) as the most critical issue. Taxes (13%), the environment (12%), crime (9%) and international issues (5%) trail significantly.

"Our politicians should listen to their constituents they want to represent in Parliament," said Dr. Ouellet. "Canadians want them to start talking about what they are going to do to improve health care and provide timely access to quality health care."

Within the broad area of the health care system, 65% of Canadians polled said addressing the shortage of doctors should be a top priority (9 or 10 on a scale of 0 to 10). This is followed by addressing the shortage of other health care professionals (54%), improving the efficiency of the system (52%), the overall quality of health care (48%), access to MRIs, X-rays and other diagnostic equipment (45%), access to affordable prescription drugs (44%), access to mental health care (30%), and finally the lack of an electronic medical record (18%).

"Canada's doctors have been saying for some time that we need more hands on deck - more doctors, nurses and other health care professionals - working in the system," added Dr. Ouellet.

Ipsos Reid conducted an online survey of 1,026 adult Canadians from Sept. 24 to 26, 2008. This sample provides a ï¿1/23.1% margin of error for the overall national findings 19 times out of 20.

Full results of the poll and the Voters' Guide to the Issues can be found at: http://www.cma.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/87393/la_id/1.htm

     Contacts:
     Canadian Medical Association
     Lucie Boileau
     Media Relations Manager
     800-663-7336 or 613-731-8610 ext. 1266