It's hardly news that we're in the midst of a federal election campaign.  Some are putting the economy at the top of the pile of key issues.  Others point to accountablility while still others say it's democracy.  We think health care should be at the top of the list.  That's why we recorded a health care election panel for the next edition of White Coat, Black Art that featured representatives of the three main political parties outside of Quebec.  With the federal provincial health care accord up for renewal in 2014, it's possible and even likely that the next federal government will be tasked with negotiating a new agreement.  Last week, a report from the C.D. Howe Institute by former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge called for an "adult conversation" about the cost of health care.  We think the three candidates did just that and I want to thank them for appearing on our show and answering questions posed by you.  If you care about what the parties have to say about health care during this election campaign, you won't want to miss our show this Saturday, April 16 at 11 am (1130 NT).

Our panelists are as follows:

* Carolyn Bennett, Liberal Candidate for St. Paul's in Toronto, a family physician who served as Minister of State (Public Health) from 2003 to 2006 and who was the Liberal Party's Health Critic from 2007 to 2010.

* Colin Carrie, Conservative Candidate for Oshawa, a chiropractor who served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and who is a member of Standing Committee on Health.

* Megan Leslie, NDP Candidate for Halifax, a legal aid lawyer who serves as Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Health.

We'll have that conversation on White Coat, Black Art this Saturday, April 16, 2010 at 11 am (1130 am NT) and again on Monday, April 18 at 1130 am (330 pm NT) on CBC Radio One.  We'll put a longer version of the panel that airs on WCBA up on our web site later this week.