The Chaoulli Case: a two-tier Magna Carta?

There has been considerable speculation about the potential impact of the Supreme Court of Canada's judgment in Chaoulli v. Quebec. Even if those who are most friendly--or most hostile--to Canadian medicare are exaggerating the impact of the decision, its impact will be large. While the decision does not strike down any existing single-payer medicare system in any province, including Quebec's single-payer system, it is certainly capable of becoming the Magna Carta for two-tier medicare through future judicial interpretation and extension. In any event, it has already become the battering ram of choice for medicare's most tenacious opponents.