Kelowna Centre independent candidate wants to cut the red tape out of health care

Like many of British Columbia’s fresh batch of BC United-turned-independent candidates, Dr. Michael Humer’s disappointment has turned into optimism.

When Kevin Falcon suspended the BC United campaign on Aug. 28, Humer figured it would be the start of a centre-right coalition to take on David Eby and the BC NDP head-on.

But the call from John Rustad and the Conservative Party of BC never came, and on Sept. 20 Humer officially announced that he would run unaffiliated in the Kelowna Centre riding.

The long-time thoracic surgeon and former chief of surgery at Kelowna General Hospital says it was health care that brought him into this election, but something else made him stick around.

“Why do I want to keep running? Because of democracy, really,” he told KelownaNow video host Jim Csek.

According to Humer, Falcon’s decision was a hit to democracy and it started to feel like voters were being stripped of a true choice at the polls in October.

He believes the strong field of well-vetted independent candidates offers people options in the centre of the political spectrum, rather than being forced to pick left or right.

While the NDP and Conservative candidates will have to “tow the party line,” Humer says he and the other independents only need to answer to their constituents.

And he thinks it could make this a “historic election,” which could lead to neither party winning a majority and independent MLAs being able to hold Eby and Rustad accountable in the legislature.

“My whole career has been about listening and then acting as a surgeon, and I’ll continue to do that for you,” he said.

Humer has spent much of 2024 knocking on people’s doors in Kelowna and he has heard three main concerns from his constituents – Health care, public safety and cost of living.

He notes that he's been surprised to hear how much of an issue public safety is and it’s clear that people want “compassionately-delivered involuntary care.”

When it comes to the cost of living, Humer says there needs to be solutions to make the dream of owning a home a realistic one for young Canadians again.

“There’s a generation behind us where homeownership is going to be incredibly complex, and that’s so disheartening and it’s so demoralizing,” he told Csek.

Of course, health care is his area of expertise and he wants to see the BC's health care system restored to its former glory.

“We had the best healthcare system in Canada and it was something we were proud of,” Humer explained. “Certainly it’s deteriorated and at most metrics we’re way down at the bottom.”

Humer says BC spends a lot of money on health care, but it’s not being put in the right places.

“Too much bureaucracy, too much red tape,” he noted. “It’s fixable, but it’s going to require commitment.”

The former chief of surgery says people need universal access to primary care and points to the Periwinkle Model from former federal health minister Jane Philpott, which has also been pitched by the BC Greens.

It’s a concept that essentially proposes that the health care system be more like public schools, and a network of community health care centres would be established.

They would give British Columbians access to doctors, nurses, mental health professionals and specialists in one spot, a way to streamline referrals and ensure timely, comprehensive care in one spot.

Humer explains that universal access to primary care would see a lot more done in the way of prevention, which would save the health care system a lot of money in the long run.

At the end of the day, Humer describes himself as “socially open and compassionate,” while also “fiscally conservative.”

“I want to pay my bills. I don’t want to leave a debt legacy for my children and my grandchildren,” he explained.

“A significant number of the NDP policies have been very hard on this province and I know we don’t need another four years of them.”

British Columbians will head to the polls on Oct. 19.