In April 2001 Prime Minister Chretien appointed former Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow as a one-man Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada. Romanow reports directly to the Prime Minister. He started his work on May 1, 2001 and is scheduled to report by November 2002.

Quebec's Health Minister Remy Trudel was quick to announce that his province would not take part in the Romanow Commission hearings, as the Quebec government considers health care a provincial responsibility. Romanow indicated that he would discuss the matter with Quebec Premier Bernard Landry and Trudel, and he planned to include Quebecers in the consultations.

Supported by a small secretariat, Mr. Romanow was given the task of looking at the long-term challenges of maintaining a public, universal health care system in Canada - including changing demographics, rising costs, and new technologies - and recommending government policies and programs to balance health maintenance with health care and treatment.

The Romanow Commission was expected to build on the September 2000 Health Agreement endorsed by the Prime Minister and the provincial and territorial premiers, which included a federal infusion of funds to help with the medium and short-term pressures on the Canadian health care system. It was also expected that the Romanow Commission would draw on the work of recent provincial commissions, such as the Clair Commission in Quebec and the Fyke Commission in Saskatchewan.

The first nine months of Romanow's mandate were spent on fact finding and public education. In February 2002, the Romanow health commission released an interim report to be used as the basis for a dialogue with Canadians. The public hearings phase of the Romanow Commission began in March 2002, as the Commission crossed the country to consult with Canadians face to face in 18 cities. Romanow's consultations include provincial and territorial governments and health professionals and stakeholders. The final report of the Romanow Commission is due by November 2002.

A Saskatchewan lawyer, Romanow was first elected to the Saskatchewan legislature in 1967. As Attorney General and Deputy Premier of Saskatchewan he introduced justice reforms, including the provincial legal aid plan and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission. As Intergovernmental Affairs Minister he was heavily involved in the Constitutional Accord of 1981. Romanow became Premier of Saskatchewan in 1991, and he remained premier until he retired from politics in February 2001. At the time of his appointment to the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, he was a senior policy fellow at the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan as well as a visiting fellow at Queen's University.