The Canada Health Act (CHA) [2] 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 [3]. These criteria require universal coverage (for all "insured persons") of insured procedures for all "medically necessary"^{[citation needed]} hospital and physician services, without co-payments.

The CHA deals only with how the system is financed. Because of the constitutional division of powers among levels of government, adherence to CHA conditions is voluntary. However, the fiscal levers have helped to ensure a relatively consistent level of coverage across the country. Although there are disputes as to the details, the CHA remains highly popular.

In popular discussion, the CHA is often conflated with the health care system in general. However, the CHA is silent about how care should be organized and delivered, as long as its criteria are met.

Canada ( /ˈkænədə/) 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. Spanning over 9,900,000 km² (3,800,000 sq mi), Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world.

The land that is now Canada has been inhabited for millennia by various Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French colonial expeditions explored, and later settled, along the region's Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy; the Canada Act 1982 severed the vestiges of legal dependence on Britain.

John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian social democratic politician and Leader of the Official Opposition. He was leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, occasionally holding the title of "Acting Mayor" or "Deputy Mayor" of Toronto during his tenure as city councillor. He was the Member of Parliament for Toronto—Danforth from 2004 until his death.

Son of a Progressive Conservative cabinet minister, Layton was raised in Hudson, Quebec. He rose to prominence in Toronto municipal politics where he was one of the most prominent left-wing voices on city and Metropolitan Toronto councils, championing many progressive causes. In 1991, he ran for mayor, losing to June Rowlands. Returning to council he rose to become head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. In 2003, he was elected leader of the federal NDP on the first ballot of the convention.

Under his leadership, support for the NDP increased in each election. The party's popular vote almost doubled in the 2004 election, which gave the NDP the balance of power in Paul Martin's minority government. In May 2005 the NDP supported the Liberal budget in exchange for major amendments, in what was promoted as Canada's "First NDP budget". In November of that year, Layton voted with other opposition parties to defeat the Liberal government over the findings of the Gomery Commission. The NDP saw further gains in the 2006 and 2008 elections, in which the party elected 29 and 37 MPs, respectively.

Deborah Drake Matthews, Ph.D. (born 1953 in London, Ontario) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of London North Centre for the Ontario Liberal Party, and is currently the province's Minister of Health and Long-Term Care in the government of Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Deb Matthews is the third of six children born to Joyce Eleanor Matthews and the children of Donald Jeune Matthews. She is the sister of Shelley Peterson, wife of former Ontario Premier David Peterson, and the granddaughter of John Henry (Jack) Matthews, who was the former Mayor of Brampton, Ontario and who previously ran as a CCF candidate. Matthews has three children and four grandchildren.

Matthews was born in London North Centre and graduated from St. George’s Public School and A.B. Lucas Secondary School. She studied at the University of Western Ontario.

Before entering politics, Matthews held a number of positions in various fields. She has experience in the business community, the construction industry, fundraising in the non-profit sector and teaching at the University of Western Ontario. Matthews was honoured twice on the University Students' Council Teaching Honour Roll at the University of Western Ontario.

Libby Davies, MP (born February 27, 1953 in Aldershot, United Kingdom) is a Canadian politician from British Columbia. She has been the Member of Parliament for Vancouver East since 1997 and the Deputy Leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) since 2007 (alongside Thomas Mulcair under the leadership of Jack Layton and alongside Halifax MP Megan Leslie, and Hamilton MP David Christopherson since Mulcair became leader in 2012). Prior to entering federal politics, Davies helped found the Downtown Eastside Residents Association and she served as a Vancouver City Councillor from 1982 to 1993.

Davies was born in Aldershot, United Kingdom on February 27, 1953 and immigrated to Canada in 1968 with her family. She moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1969. Before being elected to Parliament, she participated in many grass-roots political organizations in Vancouver, specifically in the Downtown Eastside area. She dropped out of university to help Bruce Eriksen found the Downtown Eastside Residents Association (DERA), an influential low-income housing advocacy group. She was instrumental in a campaign to save the Carnegie library which was later converted into the Carnegie Community Centre serving low-income adults.