Health care was a hot topic on Friday in Cornwall, when the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs had a pre-budget consultation session at the Best Western Plus Parkway Inn.

"Health care (concerns are) definitely a main topic," said John Fraser, MPP for Ottawa South and one of five Liberals on the eight-person panel.

"We heard some excellent presentations . . . it's a non-partisan committee, a great exercise. It's important because you need to hear directly from the people about what's happening on the ground, it gives you important perspectives no matter whose side you're on."

Jim McDonell, MPP for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, and the PC Children and Youth Services Critic, represented the Ontario PC Caucus at the Friday consultation, along with Ontario PC House Leader Steve Clark, MPP for Leeds-Grenville.

"We have a health-care system that's being whittled down, hospital budgets are being cut back," McDonell said after the session, touching on the big issue before noting the importance of hearing from so many in the community.

"It's a chance to listen to the public - it gives government the chance to go to the different regions of the province and I think that's important."

The panel heard submissions from local business and community representatives in advance of the upcoming Liberal budget, including from Elaine MacDonald, co-chair of the Cornwall Chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition.

"Chronic underfunding of public health care destabilizes the system and accelerates the creeping privatization of public health care," MacDonald said in asking government to address three main concerns, including the rise of private clinics and the "threat they present to the principles of medicare and to our public community hospitals."

MacDonald also addressed the issue of underfunding of home care and long-term care, and the "negative impact of long-distance health care. . . as centres of specialization are set up in major centres like Ottawa, local hospitals in small and rural communities like Cornwall lose whole departments and the budgets that go with them," she said.

Afterward, MacDonald was pleased with the proceedings.

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Health care priority concern in Cornwall pre-budget sessions