The Romanow Series

The Romanow report: a timeline

June 2000: Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow announces Saskatchewan's own commission on health care.

April 2001: Prime Minister Jean Chretien announces that Romanow, now retired as Saskatchewan premier, will head a special national commission aimed at finding ways to modernize Canada's ailing health care system.

November 2002: Romanow delivers his report Building on Values: The Future of Health Care in Canada. Chretien vows to implement the recommendations swiftly.

2004: By this point Ottawa has pledged an additional $68 billion for health care over 10 years. Critics point out that little of this money will actually reduce wait lists.

2005: The Health Council of Canada reports that little has been done to implement Romanow's recommended primary care teams.

2007: Only 5 per cent of health records have been put into computerized form, something Romanow felt would cut down on faulty prescribing and make healthcare more efficient.

June 18, 2008: Statistics Canada says 4 million Canadians are without family physicians.