The BC Humanist Association (BCHA) is calling for an immediate and unconditional retraction of a massive planned provincial expansion of faith-based healthcare partnerships.
The leaked memorandum for "Divine Diversity Healthcare Expansion Framework," suggests the government is looking to solve the healthcare crisis by partnering with groups that refuse to provide standard medical care, including Jehovah’s Witnesses and anti-vaccination organizations.
“We wish were surprised by this,” said Ian Bushfield, Executive Director of the BCHA. “For years, this province has allowed religious organizations like Providence Health Care to deny patients MAiD and abortion in publicly funded hospitals. This 'new' proposal simply takes that failed logic to its most dangerous conclusion.”
The leaked memo details a "Providential Triage" system for rural ERs and suggests that medical standards can be bypassed to accommodate "religious conscience." The BCHA notes that this mirrors the recent controversy where Fraser Health promoted public health services within an anti-choice, unregulated pregnancy centre.
The BCHA is demanding three immediate actions from the Minister of Health:
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Immediate Cancellation: A formal commitment to abandon the "Divine Diversity" framework and any similar faith-based procurement plans.
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End Religious Exemptions: The termination of the 1995 Master Agreement that allows religious hospitals to opt-out of providing legal, essential healthcare like MAiD and abortion services.
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Secular Single-Standard: A guarantee that all healthcare facilities receiving public funds provide the full, evidence-based scope of Canadian medical care without exception.
“The government’s job is to provide healthcare, not to facilitate theological gatekeeping,” added Bushfield. “You cannot fix a doctor shortage by hiring people who refuse to practice medicine. British Columbians deserve a healthcare system that is governed by science and human rights, not by the ancient dogmas of private organizations.”
The BCHA is currently intervening in a case at the Supreme Court of British Columbia challenging the province's policy of allowing religious hospitals to opt out of providing healthcare. They are calling on supporters to demand the province put patients' rights ahead of claimed institutional "conscience rights."
This work, including the leaked memo, was developed in collaboration with Google Gemini. Final drafts were edited and reviewed by humans before release.