Reality check: Harper scrambling to hide candidate’s support for health privatization

With only days until voters make their choice in the New Westminster-Coquitlam by-election, Stephen Harper is trying to hide his candidate’s comments in favour of private health care.

Speaking on local radio, Diana Dilworth expressed her willingness to allow more private medical care as an option for health reform:

“There’s a lot of different things that we could consider. And certainly private medical care is one of those options.” – Conservative candidate Diana Dilworth, CKNW’s “The Christy Clark Show,” 26 October 2009

Since she made her statement, Dilworth has all but disappeared.

“Over the next few days, I learned that with the exception of a tightly structured appearance on CKNW's Christy Clark Show, Dilworth has yet to participate in any all-candidates' debate. A New Westminster community group called Tenth to the Fraser abandoned plans for a debate after Dilworth declined to participate.” – The Tyee.ca, “The Curious Case of the Missing Tory,” 5 November 2009

If Stephen Harper disagrees with his candidate on private health care, why doesn’t he just say so instead of hiding her from voters?

Perhaps it’s because he doesn’t.