Edmund F. Haislmaier, a fellow at the Heritage Institution, doesn’t think there is a good chance Layton will be successful with his lobbying efforts. But the fact that he’s here, and meeting with White House Communications Director Anita Dunn and others, means that he’s serious about trying.
“To a certain extent, this isn’t about the U.S debate. It’s about Canadians becoming more and more aware that their system isn’t working,” said Haislmaier. Canadians are already using private U.S. systems so much that it is undermining the effectiveness of the public Canadian system.
“It’s a theological position that one shouldn’t make money off of health care, and [Layton] seems to share that ideological predisposition,” said Haislmaier.
On Monday, 24 Democrats met to discuss health care proposals, but did not invite a single Republican. Whether or not Layton met with the Democrats is unknown.