Linda West
Encyclopedia
Linda West is a Canadian
administrator, activist and politician. She is perhaps best known as an advocate for increased private health provision within Canada's public health system. She has been a candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada
and the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
.
degree from Laurentian University
and a Master of Business Administration
specializing in Health Care from the University of Toronto
. She also holds a Ph.D.
from Washington International University
, an institution that is not accredited by any educational oversight body in Canada
or the United States of America
. West's Ph.D. credentials became a source of controversy during the 2006 federal election
.
West was executive director of the James Bay General Hospital from 1992 to 1995, and of the Winnipeg River Health District from 1995 to 1997. From 1997 to 2000, she was executive director of labour relations for Manitoba Health
. She has also been a health policy consultant for the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
, and has taught nursing and business at the University of Manitoba
. West is the author of a book entitled, Trends and Issues in Health Care.
In 2003, West helped organize a conference in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
on the role of women in politics. She received a Women of Distinction Award from the Winnipeg YMCA
-YWCA
in 2004, and was later chosen as the local director of Equal Voice, a group that promotes the increased participation of women in political life. In 2006, she helped organize a rebuilding effort in New Orleans for Habitat For Humanity.
In July 2007, West was hired as executive director for employment services in the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region's Human Resources Department. She was named acting vice-president of Human Resources in August of the same year, and became vice-president in December. West left employment with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region on February 21, 2008. West also became vice-president of Human Resources with the Actyl Group, a recruitment agency that provides Canadian placements to migrant workers from the Philippines
, in 2007. She argued in 2008 that Canada needs overseas recruitment to counter a domestic labour shortage.
should be re-examined, and more private medicine introduced into the public system. West has written favourably of France
and Sweden
's combined public-private models, and has criticized the delivery system of the United States of America
.
West and provincial Health Minister Dave Chomiak engaged in a public controversy over health care strategies in late 2001 and early 2002. In the same period, West argued that Manitobans should pay health-care premiums instead of paying for health expenses through general taxation.
, as a candidate of the Progressive Conservative Party. She initially sought the party's nomination for Riel, but lost to former Member of the Legislative Assembly
Shirley Render
at a nomination meeting in late 2002. During the nomination contest, one PC insider suggested that West's views on private health care would be a liability for the party.
West subsequently convened a public meeting on Manitoba's physician shortage, which was held at Winnipeg's Transcona Inn in early 2003. During the question and answer session, she announced that she was considering a candidacy in the division of Radission. The political overtones of this meeting were noted in a newspaper report, though West denied that it had been called for political purposes. She won the Radisson nomination, but lost to New Democratic Party
candidate Bidhu Jha
in the general election.
West returned to writing opinion pieces on Canada's health-care system after the election. She reiterated her support for publicly funded private clinics, and criticized the provincial government's approach to the issue. She was also a vocal opponent of Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray's tax policies, which she spoke against at several public meetings.
The Manitoba Nurses' Union
criticized West in late 2003, after she led a group of her own fourth-year undergraduate students in a rally outside the provincial legislature supporting an on-the-job training program. The students received 10% of their grade for participating in the rally, leading a union official to charge that West was manipulating the course for partisan ends. She denied this, and said that her students were taught to review both sides of the issue.
West was a supporter of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
at the federal level, and supported its merger with the more right-wing Canadian Alliance
to create the Conservative Party of Canada
in 2003. She ran for the new party in the 2006 federal election
, and finished second against New Democratic Party
incumbent Bill Blaikie
in Elmwood—Transcona
.
West challenged Bidhu Jha a second time in the 2007 provincial election
, initially centering her campaign around local opposition to a hog-processing plant planned for construction in the Radisson area. The NDP government withdrew its support for the project during the election, and indicated that the plant would not be built. Some NDP insiders nevertheless expressed concern that their early support for the unpopular project had made the seat vulnerable. On election day, however, Jha defeated West by an increased margin.
and Elections Manitoba
. Provincial expenditures refer to candidate expenses. Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
administrator, activist and politician. She is perhaps best known as an advocate for increased private health provision within Canada's public health system. She has been a candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
and the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
.
Private life and career
West has a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Laurentian University
Laurentian University
Laurentian University , was incorporated on March 28, 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada....
and a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
specializing in Health Care from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. She also holds a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Washington International University
Washington International University
Washington International University is an unaccredited institution of higher education founded in 1994 and currently incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. It describes itself as a "university without borders," serving clients from around the world via distance education...
, an institution that is not accredited by any educational oversight body in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
or the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. West's Ph.D. credentials became a source of controversy during the 2006 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
.
West was executive director of the James Bay General Hospital from 1992 to 1995, and of the Winnipeg River Health District from 1995 to 1997. From 1997 to 2000, she was executive director of labour relations for Manitoba Health
Manitoba Health
Manitoba Health is an agency of the Government of Manitoba. It is overseen by the Minister of Health, and provides information on various aspects of health care in Manitoba, Canada....
. She has also been a health policy consultant for the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
, and has taught nursing and business at the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
. West is the author of a book entitled, Trends and Issues in Health Care.
In 2003, West helped organize a conference in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
on the role of women in politics. She received a Women of Distinction Award from the Winnipeg YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
-YWCA
YWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
in 2004, and was later chosen as the local director of Equal Voice, a group that promotes the increased participation of women in political life. In 2006, she helped organize a rebuilding effort in New Orleans for Habitat For Humanity.
In July 2007, West was hired as executive director for employment services in the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region's Human Resources Department. She was named acting vice-president of Human Resources in August of the same year, and became vice-president in December. West left employment with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region on February 21, 2008. West also became vice-president of Human Resources with the Actyl Group, a recruitment agency that provides Canadian placements to migrant workers from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, in 2007. She argued in 2008 that Canada needs overseas recruitment to counter a domestic labour shortage.
Views on health delivery
West has written several articles calling for Manitoba and Canada to develop new strategic plans for health care delivery. She believes that the Canada Health ActCanada Health Act
The Canada Health Act is a piece of Canadian federal legislation, adopted in 1984, which specifies the conditions and criteria with which the provincial and territorial health insurance programs must conform in order to receive federal transfer payments under the Canada Health Transfer...
should be re-examined, and more private medicine introduced into the public system. West has written favourably of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's combined public-private models, and has criticized the delivery system of the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
West and provincial Health Minister Dave Chomiak engaged in a public controversy over health care strategies in late 2001 and early 2002. In the same period, West argued that Manitobans should pay health-care premiums instead of paying for health expenses through general taxation.
Activist and political candidate
West first ran for public office in the 2003 provincial electionManitoba general election, 2003
The Manitoba general election held on June 3, 2003 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which won 35 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party finished second with twenty seats...
, as a candidate of the Progressive Conservative Party. She initially sought the party's nomination for Riel, but lost to former Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
Shirley Render
Shirley Render
Shirley Render is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1990 to 1999, and was briefly a cabinet minister in the government of Gary Filmon.-Early life:...
at a nomination meeting in late 2002. During the nomination contest, one PC insider suggested that West's views on private health care would be a liability for the party.
West subsequently convened a public meeting on Manitoba's physician shortage, which was held at Winnipeg's Transcona Inn in early 2003. During the question and answer session, she announced that she was considering a candidacy in the division of Radission. The political overtones of this meeting were noted in a newspaper report, though West denied that it had been called for political purposes. She won the Radisson nomination, but lost to New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
candidate Bidhu Jha
Bidhu Jha
Bidhu Shekhar Jha is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba since 2003, representing the Winnipeg division of Radisson as a member of the New Democratic Party.-Private life and career:...
in the general election.
West returned to writing opinion pieces on Canada's health-care system after the election. She reiterated her support for publicly funded private clinics, and criticized the provincial government's approach to the issue. She was also a vocal opponent of Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray's tax policies, which she spoke against at several public meetings.
The Manitoba Nurses' Union
Manitoba Nurses' Union
The Manitoba Nurses' Union is a labour organization representing registered nurses in Manitoba, Canada. It is affiliated with the Canadian Labour Congress....
criticized West in late 2003, after she led a group of her own fourth-year undergraduate students in a rally outside the provincial legislature supporting an on-the-job training program. The students received 10% of their grade for participating in the rally, leading a union official to charge that West was manipulating the course for partisan ends. She denied this, and said that her students were taught to review both sides of the issue.
West was a supporter of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
at the federal level, and supported its merger with the more right-wing Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
to create the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
in 2003. She ran for the new party in the 2006 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, and finished second against New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
incumbent Bill Blaikie
Bill Blaikie
William Alexander "Bill" Blaikie, PC is a Canadian politician. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba since April 2009, representing the Winnipeg division of Elmwood as a member of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, and Minister of Conservation and Government House Leader...
in Elmwood—Transcona
Elmwood—Transcona
Elmwood—Transcona is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. Its population in 2006 was 78,700....
.
West challenged Bidhu Jha a second time in the 2007 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 2007
The Manitoba general election held on May 22, 2007 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which won 36 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party finished second with nineteen seats. The Liberal...
, initially centering her campaign around local opposition to a hog-processing plant planned for construction in the Radisson area. The NDP government withdrew its support for the project during the election, and indicated that the plant would not be built. Some NDP insiders nevertheless expressed concern that their early support for the unpopular project had made the seat vulnerable. On election day, however, Jha defeated West by an increased margin.
Electoral record
All electoral information is taken from Elections CanadaElections Canada
Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency reporting directly to the Parliament of Canada. Its ongoing responsibility is to ensure that Canadians can exercise their choices in federal elections and referenda through an open and impartial process...
and Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Manitoba, responsible for the conduct of provincial elections....
. Provincial expenditures refer to candidate expenses. Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available.